


Differentiations

by Hester_Of_Ravenswood, TheLonelyDraconequus



Series: RWBY, but Pollination Style [14]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, No Smut, No enabler, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 101,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26036281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hester_Of_Ravenswood/pseuds/Hester_Of_Ravenswood, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelyDraconequus/pseuds/TheLonelyDraconequus
Summary: You guys know the drill! More of the children and their drama!Side note: No smut, no enabler
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Fox Alistair/Yatsuhashi Daichi, Ilia Amitola/Pyrrha Nikos/Sun Wukong, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Neopolitan/Ciel Soleil, Oscar Pine/Whitley Schnee, Penny Polendina/Winter Schnee, Qrow Branwen/Elm Ederne
Series: RWBY, but Pollination Style [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1661938
Comments: 322
Kudos: 46





	1. Cheat Sheet

Hey, my name’s Aella Sun Belladonna-Schnee! I heard that some of you readers get kinda confused when it comes to friends and family of mine, so I’m here to fix that for you! Ya know, cause that’s kinda what I do… anyways, here’s a complete list of the important people in my life… plus a few that Aunt Ivy said to add? I don’t know why, but here they are!

Name | Nickname | Aura Color | Semblance | Appearance | Type of Faunus | Pronunciation | Romantic Interests(s) | Theme Song | Sexuality  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
Adolpha Lin Belladonna-Schnee | Dolph, Dolphie, Flower Bitch (FB) | Gray | Can see possible outcomes, the darker the shadow the more likely it is | Height: 5'9" Hair: Short Gray Eyes: Light Gray | Wolf, Ears | A-doll-fa | Romelle | Little Lion Man by Tonight Alive | Lesbian, confirmed monogamous  
Jin Rin Belladonna-Schnee | Jinny (Ilesha) | Yellow | All damage is cut in half | Height: 6'0" Hair: Long Blonde Eyes: Liliac | Armadillo, Scales | J-in | Saffron, Romy | Ringleader by The Madison Letter | Lesbian  
Akio Ciel Belladonna-Schnee | Kio, TEAleporter | Pale Green | Teleportation | Height: 5'11" Hair: Short Brown Eyes: Brown | N/A | Aaaaaa-key-O | Rosemary | Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos | Heterosexual  
Aella Sun Belladonna-Schnee | Ally, Allie, Detevtive Bubble Pipe (DBP), Ellie (Coopy Poo!) | Crimson Red | Wind manipulation | Height:5'4" Hair: Mid Neck(Salt and Pepper) Eyes:Yellow | Sugar Glider, Gliders | Ay-ella | N/A | Grab Your Shoes by Andrew Allen | Lesbian  
Crystal Ilia Belladonna-Schnee | Cy, Stally(Ilesha), GPS | Light Blue | Glyphs | Height:5'2" Hair: Braided White Eyes: Silver | Snow Leopard, Tail | Like the stone | Ilesha | Heart Attack by Demi Lovato | Bisexual  
Lavey Penny Belladonna-Schnee | Lav, Lav-Lav(Ilesha), Bandwagon | Maroon Red | Can absorb and release kinetic energy | Height:5'0" Hair: Short Red Eyes: Silver | N/A | Lay-vee | Ilesha | Glory by The Score | Bisexual  
Auburn Whitley Belladonna-Schnee | Aub, Burn, Aubby (Clover), Snitch | Navy Blue | Can combine semblances of others | Height: 5'8" Hair: Dark Brown almost Black Eyes: Yellow | Sword Fish, Gills | Like the color | Clover | Oops!... I Did it Again by Britney Spears | Gay  
Meriah Syntheia Belladonna-Schnee | Merrie, Merry | Bright Blue | N/A | Height: 4'8" Hair: Brown Eyes: Bright Blue | German Shepherd, Ears | Mer-I-uh | N/A | Danny’s Song by Loggins & Messina | Undetermined  
Cooper Ruby Schnee-Polendina | Coop, Coopy-poo (Aella/Penny), Locksmith | Teal | Can communicate with machines | Height: 5'4" Hair: White Hair Eyes: Blue Eyes | N/A | koo-per | N/A | Sunshine by Jef Joslin | Pansexual  
Romy Jaune Soliel | Sad Girl Hours(SGH) | Pink | Telepathy | Height: 4'9" Hair: Half Pink and Brown Eyes: Blue and Pink | N/A | Row-me | Jin, Saffron | Why Worry by Set It Off | Lesbian  
Romelle Nora Soliel | Love of My Life (Adolpha), Alien | Brown | Ticking sound in her head grows louder as she gets closer to a big event | Height: 4'9" Hair: Half Pink and Brown Eyes: Blue and Pink | N/A | Row-mel | Adolpha | E.T by Katy Perry | Lesbian, confirmed monogamous  
Rosemary Fox Adel | Rose, Mr. Waiter (Mr.) | Rose Pink | Can block Auras from powering Dust | Height: 5'6" Hair: Light Brown Eyes: Brown | Fox, Tail | Rose-Mary | Akio | Standing Outside the Fire by The Country Gentlemen | Bisexual  
Saffron Pyrrha Adel | Saff, Saffy, Defibrillator | Bright Red | Dust polarity | Height: 5'11" Hair: Dark Brown Eyes: Brown | Red Panda, Tail | Saf-fron | Romy, Jin | King of the World by WAR*HALL | Lesbian  
Colby Yastu Adel | Col, By | Green | Can move his aura to anything | Height: 5'0" Hair: Red Eyes: Brown | N/A | Coal-Bee | N/A | Toxic by Britney Spears | Gay  
Kesey Velvet Alistair | Kes | White | Can stick bare skin to any surface | Height: 5'2" Hair: Reddish Brown Eyes: Light gray | N/A | Kes-ee | N/A | Play Dirty by Kevin McAllister | Lesbian  
Ilesha Ivy Ajax | Il, Illy, Sparky, Electric Piano (EP) | Bright Yellow | Can absorb and distribute electricity | Height: 5'11 Hair: Brown that goes to blonde Eyes: Brown | N/A | Ee-lee-shaw | Crystal, Lavey | My Name Is... by Once Monsters | Pansexual  
Zohra Rachel Ajax | Zo, Zoh, Ra | Orange | The greater the risk the more aura she regenerates | Height: 5'0" Hair: Black Eyes: Bright Blue | N/A | Zor-a | N/A | That's My Girl by Fifth Harmony | Lesbian  
Arlen Natalie Ajax | Len, Ar | Pink | The ground moves to the wave of the song he is listening to (Ed. Note: Oddly specific but ok) | Height: 5'5" Hair: Blond hair Eyes: Dark Brown | N/A | Are-lin | N/A | Don't Stop Me Now by Queen | Pansexual  
Clover Coco Nikos | Clove, Stitch | Red | Mitigates greatest weakness | Height: 7'0" Hair: Long Blonde Ponytail Eyes: Green Eyes | N/A | Clove-er | Auburn | I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie | Gay  
Raelynn Blake Nikos | Rae | Black | Surprise! | Height: 5'1" Hair: Bright Red Misc: Freckles Eyes: Bright Gray | Dhole, Ears | RA-lyn | Braelyn | Still Into You by Paramore | Bisexual  
Braelyn Alea Vine | Brae | Bright Red | Surprise! | Height: 5'1" Hair: Curly Black Eyes: Bright Blue | Elf Owl, Wings | BrA-lyn | Raelynn | Perfect by Ed Sheeran | Lesbian  
Cassandra Stacey Vine | Cass | Lime Green | Surprise! | Height:4'11" Hair: red Eyes: Hazel | Ragdoll cat tail | Cas-sand-ra | N/A | Anything For You by Ludo | Pansexual  
Bentley Terresa Vine | Bent, Ben | Caramel Brown | Surprise! | Height: 6' Hair: brown curly Eyes: black | N/A | Bent-Lee | N/A | Wine Red by The Hush Sound | Gay  
Abdera Winter Valkyrie | Dera | Purple | Surprise! | Height: 5'10'' Hair: Long blond braided hair Eyes: Bright pink | N/A | Ab-Dare-a | N/A | Three Million Years by Amber Liu | Pansexual  
Barrie Yang Valkyrie | Barr, Rie | Orange | Surprise! | Height: 5'3" Hair orange : Eyes: green blue eyes | N/A | Bear-ee | N/A | Birdsong by Good Little Giants | Pansexual  
Alex Graves | Lex | Magenta | Surprise! | Height:5'7" Hair: Strawberry blonde Eyes: Magenta | N/A | Al-ex | N/A | Never Know by Set It Off | Pansexual  
Cha'ad Smi'ith | N/A | Blue | Surprise! | Height: 5'10" Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue | N/A | Cha-Add | N/A | Gentleman by Will Jay | Gay  
Ethan Houchens | Houch | Green | Surprise! | Height: 5'5" Hair: Burgundy Eyes: Dull purple | N/A | Ee-than | N/A | Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab | Pansexual  
Mavros Verin | Mav | Hellfire Orange | Can cause auditory hallucinations in someone's mind | Height: 6'7" Hair: Black with Viking braid Eyes: Hellfire Orange | Ram horns | Mav-ros | N/A | Monster by Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young | Aroace  
Yvenne Hilyard | Country Bitch, Venne, Ven, Vennie | White | Can cause any wound to move to herself and half the damage when it does. | Height: 4'11" Hair: Wavy Brown Short Eyes: Tyrian Purple, Dark Bluish Green | N/A | Ya-Vin | Hunter | Girl Crush by Little Big Town | Unknown  
Vander Rezendes | Vanny, City Slicker | N/A | N/A | Height: 5'10 Hair: Dyed Purple Eyes: Lavender | Panther, Ears | Van-Der | N/A | Uptown Girl by Billy Joel (Ed. Note: Niice) | Bisexual  
Kylee Sheppard | Bar Bitch, Butch Bitch | N/A | N/A | Height: 5'9'' Hair: short black curly Eyes: Brown Dark skin tone | N/A | Ky-Lee | N/A | Faster Car by Loving Caliber | Unknown  
Torey Bruckman | Metal Head | N/A | N/A | Height: 5'1.5" Hair: White Eyes: Blue | Polar Bear Ears | Tore-ee | N/A | Diamond Girl by Set It Off | Lesbian  
Xylia Anderson-Klint | Xy, Lia, Xylophone | Dark Green | N/A | Height: 6'6" Hair: Black Eyes: Green | N/A | Zy-lee-a | N/A | Night of Your Life by WAR*HALL | Bisexual  
Quon Knipe | Q | N/A | N/A | Height: 5'5" Hair: Dark brown Eyes: Red eyes | Quol | Qu-own | N/A | Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes | Bisexual  
Waseem Flynn-Johnson | Wa | N/A | N/A | Height: 5'3" Hair: dyed dark green Eyes: Ice blue | Raven Wings | Wa-Seam | N/A | Upside Down by Set It Off | Pansexual  
Hunter Crutchfield | Hun | N/A | N/A | Height:5'8" Hair: red medium Eyes: green | N/A | Hun-Tar | Yvenne | Raised on It by Sam Hunt | Unknown  
Ursy Fernsby | Ur, Sy, Jock | Purple | Surprise! | Height: 5'1" Hair: Ash brown Eyes: Black | N/A | Ur-see | N/A | Rockstar by A Great Big World | Bisexual  
Dicy Mcgee | Di, Cy, Nerd | Orange | Surprise! | Height: 5'9" Hair: Dark brown Eyes: Dark Green | N/A | Die-c | N/A | Another Day by Patent Pending | Pansexual  
Faydell Mcgee | Fay, Dell, Prep | Red | Surprise! | Height: 5'2" Hair: burgundy Eyes: Dark Red | Weasel, Ears | F-Ay-dil | N/A | Perfect Color by SafetySuit | Bisexual  
Gazella Gentry | Gaz, Goth | Yellow | Surprise! | Height: 5'10" Hair: Dyed Black Eyes: Ice Blue | Gazelle, Horns | Ga-zell-a | N/A | When I Fall by Bare Naked Ladies | Bisexual  
Osvaldo Vega | Valdo | Green | N/A | Height: 5'7"Hair: Golden brown Eyes: Brown | N/A | Oz-Val-dough | N/A | The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West | Bisexual  
Pandora Newman | Pan | Pink | N/A | Height: 5'8" Hair: Light auburn Eyes: Green | N/A | Pan-door-a | N/A | Mechanical Heart by Jon D | Demi pansexual  
  
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editor's Note: Honestly I have NO IDEA who half of these people are, and these names are going to make editing headache-inducing thanks to spellcheck.   
> But it's worth it because Dust, I love this series.


	2. Alright

Today was Romy’s last day in the infirmary, and team JARR had tried to spruce up the dorm room for her a little bit, having been directed by Aella to do so, and they were finally ready to bring her back to the dorm.

Romelle pushed open the door for her gently, glancing at her sister.

Romy looked mostly fine. There was a slight limp as she walked, and there was going to be a scar for a long time, perhaps her whole life, on her side. But, besides that, she seemed pretty much good as new.

Aella was hovering over her, quite literally, with a concerned look on her face.

Saffron was holding Romy in her arms at the moment, cradling her in her arms and looking down at her with a fond expression.

Jin was at their side with a worried look, reaching one hand up to set it on Romy’s leg gently.

“You know I can walk, right?” Romy asked, sounding a little frustrated, but mostly fond. She still seemed to be in a state of shock when it came to her two new girlfriends, clearly not quite sure if this was all a dream or if they were actually dating.

“No,” Jin said quickly.

“You hurt your side, which is connected to your leg, so you can’t move your legs,” Saffron said wisely.

Romy spluttered for a moment before she muttered under her breath.

Saffron reached up and set her on her sister’s bed, where she was a bit closer to the ground, just in case she might fall over.

Aella took a moment to think, looking around.

Romy was saying something, and Saffron and Jin were looking at her with love in their eyes.

Aella wanted to hear it, wanted to soak up any moment of happy Romy she could, but her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t stop it.

The room was so tidy, and she couldn’t help but think it wasn’t enough.

Romy had died, after all, and she deserved something better than the stuffed animals and a banner.

But… it was over.

She was here, back in the dorm, and she was fine, which meant that…

Everyone else was okay now.

Aella stared at Romy and for a moment, she felt the room spinning around her.

At the door, the other members of the RPS had come to congratulate Romy and check on her, but all eyes locked on Aella as she took a step back, her hands reaching up and covering her mouth with a slightly shocked expression.

Tears appeared in her eyes, and they all looked at her with worry.

“DBP, are you alright?” Romy asked, about to push herself to her feet.

Saffron and Jin worriedly kept her seated.

Aella nodded, trying to wipe her tears away quickly.

“Yeah!” Aella forced a laugh. “You know me, always… always emotional!”

Everyone crowded around her, and Romy glared at Jin when she tried to keep her on the bed.

Finally, Jin scooped her up in her arms and walked over to where Aella was being surrounded by everyone.

“What’s wrong, Elly?” Cooper asked.

“It’s… nothing, nothing,” Aella waved her hand dismissively, “I just… go comfort Romy, alright?”

Romy finally stood on her own, pushing away from Jin, and wrapped her arms around Aella.

Aella collapsed the moment Romy touched her, grabbing Romy around the waist and pulling her into the air, though she was careful not to touch anywhere she was hurt.

Aella was still crying, but they were tears of relief. It felt like every muscle in her body had finally relaxed. Romy was back where she was supposed to be, back here in the JARR dorm room, and Aella…

She could finally let herself cry.

She hadn’t cried since they had landed in the airship.

She hadn’t let herself cry, because there was stuff to do, people to take care of, but…

Now that Romy was finally here…

Aella held her tighter, burying her face against her neck as she cried.

At least everything was the way it was supposed to be.

Things might happen, but… at least they were good now.

Aella took a deep breath, smiling just slightly as she felt Romy’s good arm pulled her closer.

Everything was…

It was finally alright.


	3. Date

Romy was awkwardly walking between Jin and Saffron, the three of them on the way to the diner.

Saffron and Jin had asked her out, and they had taken a spot on either side of her, but Romy was still worried that they weren’t really into her.

That they were doing this as pity, that they weren’t going to stay with her.

Romy felt something graze her hand, and she jumped, looking to the side for a moment and finding that Saffron had turned a light shade of pink, her hand shooting back to her side while she tried to look like she was watching their surroundings.

Romy considered for a moment, trying to figure out why Saffron’s tail had already poofed up. It shifted so that it was beside her, blocking Romy from seeing it entirely, but that just made it more suspicious.

Romy glanced at Jin, thinking that maybe Saffron had been looking at her, but as soon as she looked away, she felt something graze her hand again.

Romy’s head whipped around, and she saw Saffron’s hand yank away from her again.

Romy wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but she felt that, for once, she wasn’t looking at Jin, which made her heart race.

Romy glanced at Saffron’s hand for just a moment, taking a second to smile at the lack of gloves. It was nice to not see her relying on her gloves for once, and Romy found herself giving Saffron a fond look.

She realized what she was doing after a moment and started to look away, reminding herself that she  _ was not _ supposed to be here, that something was wrong, and the carpet was going to be torn out from under her at any moment.

Before Romy could turn away, however, Saffron’s hand reached out one last time, her fingers just a  _ little _ shaky as she slid them in between Romy’s own.

Romy felt her face flush a bright shade of red, and she glanced down at Saffron’s hand for a moment.

It had been a  _ long time _ since she had been able to hold Saffron’s hand, and Romy found herself immensely grateful that Saffron was next to her good arm, because she wouldn’t have pulled away if it wasn’t, and that might have broken a few of her stitches open.

Romy had missed holding Saffron’s hands. She had done so a lot before… everything, considering how often her hands shook when she took her gloves off, and her face was bright red as she thought of the new connotations of this. She had always, technically, been friends with Saffron when they did that before, but now…

She was, apparently, officially dating Saffron now, and the implications of holding her hand were now… overwhelming, yet amazing.

Jin held the door to the restaurant open for Romy and Saffron, giving them both the same fond look that Adolpha always gave Romelle.

Romy felt her face flush, and she looked down for a moment, grinning like a fool.

“Thanks,” Romy muttered, squeezing Saffron’s hand with her own.

Saffron glanced over at her with a fond smile, pulling Romy closer.

She wanted to pick her up, but Aella had told her not to pick her up.

Aella had told them a lot of rules for the date tonight that Jin and Saffron hadn’t understood at the time, but they had listened with rapt attention, wanting to know how exactly to make Romy most comfortable during their first date.

Another rule that Saffron didn’t like had been to leave her gloves behind.

She didn’t want to, but apparently that had been the  _ first _ rule, which Aella had reiterated several times.

Saffron hadn’t even taken any Dust with her, and she wondered if Romy could tell. She hoped she could, hoped that Romy knew just how special she was to them, even if they hadn’t known it for a little while.

To be fair to them… they were stupid.

Yeah, that was their entire defense right there.

They were dumb.

They took a table in the back, and Romy found herself wondering why, and also  _ how, _ this restaurant was empty except for them.

Saffron and Jin both remembered when Aella had called the restaurant earlier and scheduled dozens of reservations for tables.

Looks like none of those reservations were going to stand them up.

Jin took the seat across from the two of them at the booth, considering Saffron and Romy were still holding hands, and she smiled shyly as she saw the two of them.

The date was going pretty well. Romy was a little concerned when she saw that Saffron and Jin had their scrolls out on the table, but she slowly relaxed, a smile growing across her lips as the two spoke.

The conversation was easy, even though it started as a little forced before they sunk into it, and Romy found that her face hurt from grinning as she leaned against Saffron slowly, putting her head on her shoulder. She glanced over at Saffron, making sure that she was okay with this, and Saffron just grinned, leaning back against her and wrapping an arm around her, careful not to hit her wounds.

Romy flushed, turning a deeper shade of red when Saffron suddenly pulled away, taking off her jacket and wrapping it around Romy’s shoulders before she moved closer.

“Remember when you got this for me?” Saffron asked, a fond look on her face. “It was at the carnival. Oh, this is the most fun I’ve had since then.”

Romy hesitated, crumbling a little and pulling away from her.

Right.

Back when they weren’t together.

“Oh, I  _ loved _ that night,” Jin agreed, a fond expression on her face as she leaned closer on the table, ignoring her food. She hadn’t even seemed to notice it was there most of the night, distracted by the other two.

Her girlfriends.

But to Romy, it was still just  **a** girlfriend.

Saffron and Jin’s scrolls lit up, but Romy didn’t see it.

What she  _ did _ see, however, was that the two of them glance at their scrolls at the same time.

-

**DBP and the Dumbasses**

DBP: DID YOU JUST TALK ABOUT THE CARNIVAL?!

Tall Dumbass: How did you know that?!

Short Dumbass: Maybe?

Tall Dumbass: ARE YOU IN THE VENTS?!

DBP: My dumbass senses were tingling, so I thought about the worst thing you could do on this date, other than make out with each other in front of her, and then assumed that’s what happened. 

Short Dumbass: What’s wrong with referencing the carnival? I thought it was super romantic. Best time I’ve had. She was there, after all.

DBP: YOU CAN’T IMPLY THINGS! SHE CRIED OVER THAT THING FOR DAYS! You know who else “found it romantic?” Romy! You and your mixed signal bullshit. Fix it!

-

Both of them turned off their scrolls.

“You know… I loved that carnival because it felt almost like a first date,” Saffron said, pulling Romy a bit closer.

Romy seemed mildly happier, but not much so.

-

**DBP and the Dumbasses**

DBP: CHANGE THE SUBJECT!

-

Romy’s mood only deteriorated more when she saw that they both glanced at their scrolls.

“Uh… how about those gigs?!” Jin asked desperately.

Romy smiled just a moment before the memory of Jin and Saffron kissing onstage, and she sighed.

“I liked carrying you on my shoulders,” Jin offered, slightly concerned.

-

**DBP and the Dumbasses**

DBP: NOT THE GIGS YOU IDIOTS!

Short Dumbass: I didn’t!

Tall Dumbass: I DON’T REMEMBER HALF OF THAT NIGHT! EXCUSE ME FOR FORGETTING!

-

Romy tried not to show her pain on her face as they continued to message each other.

“How about the album? I really liked recording that for you,” Saffron said gently, trying to put her hand on Romy’s own.

Romy pulled her hand a little closer to herself.

Clearly she had been right, this wasn’t meant for her.

She should just…

-

**DBP and the Dumbasses**

DBP: WAIT! Are you two texting where she can see?! FUCKING IDIOTS!

-

Saffron and Jin hesitated for a moment to consider what she meant before their eyes widened.

Romy jumped in shock as Saffron grabbed her scroll in one hand, rearing her arm back before she sent it flying off.

She didn’t even notice as the “waitress” it flew toward cried out quietly before teleporting off.

Jin, on the other hand, pretty much threw herself over the table and held out her scroll.

“I’m sorry!” Jin said in a panic. “I’m not messaging Saffron! Or, well, technically I am, but we’re really messaging Aella. We… we just wanted to make sure that this was the perfect first date, but…,” Jin sighed and looked down, seeming  _ very _ upset, “I guess we messed that up already.”

Romy was looking at the messages from Aella for a long moment, and Saffron shifted nervously beside her, sharing a look with Jin.

After a pause, Romy started to laugh. She laughed so hard, that after a little, she started to cry, leaning against Saffron’s side and wiping at her eyes.

There was a look of relief on her face as she curled up beside Saffron, shaking her head.

They were both worried about her, which was clear from the  **_everything_ ** about them, and leaned closer to them.

“Are you okay?” Saffron moved a bit closer nervously.

“I’m sorry, can you just give us one more ch-”

Romy shook her head, and Jin looked over to share a nervous glance with Saffron, but Saffron’s face was gently held by Romy’s hand, keeping her in place.

“You… you really  _ are _ in love with me, aren’t you? Nobody panics that much over… well,  _ anything _ else,” Romy said, shaking her head.

Saffron nodded avidly, eyes wide as she was forced to lean down to make eye contact with Romy. Jin perked up, saying various words of affirmation, but Romy was distracted as she gently leaned in and kissed Saffron.

All in all, that was a pretty good first date in Romy’s opinion.

Yeah.

A great one.

-

The three piled into a cab, not noticing when Rosemary, Akio, and Lavey sprinted out of the restaurant, the final of the three having popped out of the ventilation with a wide grin as she fell to the ground. A moment later, Clover burst out the back door, carrying Auburn bridal style as Auburn held tightly to his shoulders while the chef yelled at them, though he was unable to see either of their faces. Romelle casually walked out of the front doors with a chef’s hat perched on her head. Adolpha poked her head out from around the corner and grinned, giving her girlfriend a big thumbs up before grabbing her hand and pulling her closer. Aella gathered all of the RPS together before starting to use her semblance, lifting all of them into the air and shooting toward the school.

After all, they had to be back before the new couple got back.

Meanwhile, Jin gently set Romy down in the cab, having carried her outside, and the two sat on either side of her, pulling her closer.

The cab driver looked up, glancing back at the three of them.

“Oh! Hi again!” he said happily.

It was the same cab driver as last time. He was tall, though still just a bit shorter than Saffron, with short blond hair and blindingly blue eyes. He grinned at the three of them.

“Oh! You look happier than the last time I saw you,” the cab driver said, glancing down at Romy, barely seeing Romy sitting back there.

“Wh-you saw her?!” Saffron hissed, putting her hand on Romy’s leg protectively.

“Yeah, she was the girl I told you was crying in the back on the night of your gig,” he said.

Saffron looked up, eyes widening.

“You were?!” she hissed at Romy.

“I mean, yeah, it was the night of the biggest heartbreak of my life. I mean, at least I hope it was,” Romy said, shrugging.

Jin and Saffron shared a look, seeming worried about the words.

“Did you two ever ask out that girl you wanted to give flowers?” he asked.

“Yeah… she’s right here…,” Jin said, putting her arm around Romy and Saffron to pull them closer.

His eyes widened.

“Wait… were… you were crying over them?!” he hissed.

Romy nodded.

“Yup. I was going to ask them out, and then… they kissed in front of me.”

Saffron and Jin winced.

“Damn,” he hesitated for a moment. “Sucks to be a morosexual, amiright?”

Romy hesitated for a moment before she burst out laughing, holding her side gently as she fell against Jin.

“You said it!”

But…

At least they were her idiots now.

And, in the end, that’s all she’d really wanted.


	4. Gloves

The three got back to the team JARR dorm room, not seeming to find it suspicious in the least that both Romelle and Aella weren’t in the room, clearly giving them some space.

Saffron pulled away for a moment, checking on her gloves and slipping them on for a moment. She tested them, making sure that they were still in working order. She let out a sigh of relief for a moment, her shoulders relaxing. She didn’t like not having them with her. Sure, she’d gotten better, but she wasn’t over it entirely, and, on her worst days, she found herself wondering if she ever would be.

Saffron glanced over at Jin and Romy, forgetting about her gloves for a moment, and saw that they were both getting ready to get some sleep.

Romy started to head for her own top bunk, but Saffron immediately raced over, scooping her up into a bridal carry and holding her gently.

“Nope! No bunks for you anymore, babe!” Saffron said, giving her a fond smile.

Romy flushed a deep shade of red, staring up at her.

Saffron then laid down on the bed gently, wrapping herself around Romy entirely, though she was careful with her wounds. Saffron then glared at the largest stuffed animal Romy had ever seen.

Why was it on the bed?

Saffron reached out with one arm and grabbed it, tossing it over her shoulder and letting it land in the safety corner.

“Yeah, we have a better little gremlin right here,” Saffron said, nuzzling her head against the back of Romy’s neck before setting it on her good shoulder. “Did I ever tell you how much I  _ love _ the haircut?”

Jin grimaced as she got on the bed too.

“Jin  _ doesn’t _ like your haircut as much as I do,” Saffron said, shrugging. “She likes to play with yours too much, but I think it’s cute.”

Romy was flushing a deep shade of red at this point, and she looked down for a moment, playing with the blanket awkwardly.

Jin laid down beside them too, curling around Romy and Saffron, her arm reaching around Romy gently to set itself on Saffron’s hip.

Jin let out a small sound of content as she curled up closer, her eyes falling shut.

Saffron pulled back just enough to reach back.

Romy turned her head to lazily watch Saffron stretch, a fond smile on her face, but she froze as Saffron turned off the lights.

Her glove was on her hand.

The lights went off, and Romy continued to stare unseeingly at Saffron.

She was wearing her gloves.

To sleep.

But…

Why?

Did she not feel comfortable enough around Romy anymore to sleep without them?

Saffron was still curled up around Romy, and she put one hand on her waist.

Romy flinched a little when she felt the glove touch her, and Saffron shifted.

“You alright, sweetie?” Saffron asked tiredly.

It was clear that she was exhausted, and Romy wondered if Saffron had slept more than two hours while she was unconscious.

“Alright,” Saffron yawned. “Just wanted to make sure, cuddlebug.”

Romy flushed, and Saffron let out a small sigh before her breathing evened out, making it clear that she was asleep.

Romy kept shifting, clearly not going to sleep that night, and Jin’s eyes opened just a bit, and she squinted.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Romy?” she asked.

“It’s…,” Romy’s eyes darted to Saffron’s hand, which was gloved and set on her waist, and she sighed, not looking at it again.

Despite that, Jin seemed to have noticed.

How had she seen that?

Even with her night vision…

“Does… does Saffron have her gloves on?” Jin asked quietly.

Romy nodded.

“Yup,” she said, her voice strained. “She does.”

Jin hesitated for just a moment and Romy sighed.

“I’ll just… I’ll just go back to my-”

Jin put her hand on Romy’s good shoulder.

“What? Romy, no, this was obviously a mistake. We’ll just get them off, again,” Jin said. “She won’t mind.”

Jin reached out and put her hand on Saffron’s own, starting to take the glove off slowly, unlatching the weapon and beginning to tug it off.

Before she could, the latch closed again.

Jin stared at Saffron incredulously, but clearly Saffron was still asleep.

She shifted a bit as she slumbered, pulling closer to Romy.

“Here, I’ll just wake her up,” Jin said.

“No!” Romy hissed. “Look… she needs her sleep, alright?”

“She’d want us to wake her up, Romy.”

“It’s… it’s not a big deal.”

Jin cradled her face in her hands.

“If it’s hurting your feelings, then it’s a big deal to both of us. Now come on, I’m going to wake her up.”

Romy flushed and nodded, watching Jin as she shifted over and shook Saffron.

Saffron grumbled in her sleep and shook her head, burying her face in Romy’s hair.

“Saffron!” Jin hissed.

“Wu-hu-”

Saffron’s eyes slowly opened, and she looked up, squinting at Jin and Romy before she rubbed her eyes.

“Is it morning already? I don’t want it to be morning. Sleep is good.”

“Take off your gloves,” Jin growled.

Romy curled up closer to herself, still not happy about being a bother.

“Wh-gloves? I don’t have my gloves on, Sunshine,” Saffron replied, shaking her head and chuckling. “Silly Jinny… I don’t wear them to sleep anymore, remember?”

She sounded so adorably proud that Romy couldn’t help but smile at her fondly.

“You put them on,” Jin said, sounding suffering.

“What? No I di-” Saffron’s eyes widened. “When?! When-oh, right, I did… one sec…”

Saffron unlatched her gloves and haphazardly tossed them onto the bedside table.

“Thanks, cutie,” Saffron gave her a tired wink before she curled up around Romy.

“Is there anything you want to say to Romy before you go to sleep?” Jin hinted.

Romy looked at her with panic, her face flushing as she shook her head.

“Oh, right, thanks, buttercup,” Saffron kissed the top of Romy’s head. “Love you, peaches.”

Romy felt her heart skip a beat, and she grew a goofy grin.

“No, about the gloves!” Jin hissed. “It made her feel bad.”

Saffron, who had already almost fallen asleep again, made a sound of confusion.

“Hmm? What? Why?”

“You were wearing gloves!” Jin hissed.

“I wa-oh right! Sorry, doll,” Saffron said, kissing her head again. “You know I’d never hurt you on purpose… right?”

Romy felt her heart swell, and her eyes fell shut.

“Yeah… I do.”


	5. ADG

Romy was seated in class, curled up beside Saffron with a fond smile on her face.

She was still wearing the jacket that Saffron had let her borrow.

It was no longer Saffron’s jacket, and it wasn’t even Romy’s either! It was a jacket that would constantly switch owners, the piece of clothing changing hands almost constantly, depending on a myriad of factors that could be as obscure as a gust of wind or someone laughing too hard.

Saffron smiled at her as the bell started to ring, and Jin reached down, starting to pick her up, but a form appeared in front of them.

Akio seemed almost asleep as he reached out, grabbing Romy by the wrist, before he disappeared again, taking her with him.

“Wh-” Jin stared at where her brother had once been. “Did my brother just steal my girlfriend?!”

Akio reappeared back in the team LAAC dorm room, setting her down and giving her a small smile before he started to yawn. He was clearly tired, which Romy guessed explained the old behavior.

“Uh… Tea, you know they’re my girlfriends now, right?” Romy tried not to, but she couldn’t stop herself from grinning like a fool at the words.

They really were her girlfriends, weren’t they?

She giggled a little before she shook her head for a moment, clearing her thoughts.

Akio blinked tiredly for just a moment before he nodded.

“Right… right! Sorry, but… I just forgot,” Akio gave her an apologetic smile before he set a hand on her shoulder, teleporting them both back to the classroom.

Jin immediately scooped her up, giving Akio a scathing glare as she held her girlfriend closer.

-

Rosemary looked up as she saw that Saffron and Jin were walking in, Romy in Jin’s arms. It was second period for them, and she had heard something about Akio messing up, but she immediately forgot the moment her instincts kicked in.

Clover was at her side, and she glanced at her teammate with a small smirk.

He nodded, and she took off like a rocket, appearing beside her sister and reached one hand up and grabbed Saffron’s sunglasses and proceeded to chuck them across the room as far as she could.

Saffron was so shocked that she didn’t do anything for a moment, staring at Rosemary with narrowed eyes and confusion.

Before she could say anything, however, Clover appeared, sprinting toward them.

Rosemary reached out and snatched Romy out of Jin’s hands a moment before Clover bodychecked into Jin, causing them both to go falling to the ground while Jin cried out.

Saffron jumped, her tail poofing up as she stared down worriedly at her girlfriend.

Romy tried to get down, but Rosemary was already sprinting out of the room at full speed, clutching Romy with one arm, given how the other girl was slung over her shoulder like a bag of potatoes.

“MR. WAITER!” Romy screamed, causing several people in the halls to stare in confusion. “THAT WAS MY GIRLFRIEND STITCH JUST TACKLED! PUT ME DOWN!”

Rosemary stalled for just a moment, her brain buffering.

“Oh, right! Sorry, I-”

“PUT ME DOWN!” Romy snapped.

“Right!”

Rosemary jumped to do as told, setting her down.

Romy immediately sprinted back to the classroom, skidding to a stop at the doorway.

Jin was still sprawled out on the ground, and Clover had reached out one hand to snatch onto Saffron’s ankle, causing her to fall over as he tugged backward, throwing her off balance.

Romy could tell that he had his Semblance on, considering that was a  _ lot _ more power than he  _ should have _ had.

Saffron let out a strangled cry, and Jin tried to wiggle toward Saffron to help her, but Clover was still sprawled out on top of her, pinning her to the ground before he spider crawled toward Saffron, pinning Jin down with his legs while he tried to keep down the writhing Saffron, who was already trying to escape via her Semblance.

Romy panicked and sprinted to the two of them, her eyes wide.

“STITCH! Get off of them!” she cried, trying to pry him off, but if Saffron and Jin combined couldn’t move him, it made sense that Romy wouldn’t be able to make much of a difference in their efforts. “Get off of my girlfriends!”

Clover froze for a moment, giving Saffron and Jin the chance to scramble out from under Clover, hurrying to their tiny girlfriend.

Saffron immediately scooped her into a bridal carry, holding her close to her chest defensively.

Romy could feel the gloves shift and change which Dust was readied.

“Right. Girlfriends… sorry, SGH, instincts… they die hard, huh?”

Romy groaned.

She wondered when the members of the RPS would stop trying to keep her from her girlfriends.

-

Jin, Saffron, and Romy were walking through the halls.

Or, well, Saffron and Jin were actually walking, but Romy was being carried by Jin in a bridal style hold.

Aella was humming to herself as she started to drift down the hallway above.

She had some homework that was due tomorrow, and she was organizing the papers at the moment, trying to figure out what she was going to do first when she got back to the team JARR dorm room.

So, she was understandably distracted when she looked up for just a second, finding that Jin and Saffron once again had Romy held captive.

Aella’s eyes widened, and she immediately dropped her papers, shooting forward toward her enemies.

Jin and Saffron looked up with shock and confusion, but Aella didn’t let them daunt her.

Jin was the first she needed to take out, but to do so, she needed to distract Saffron for a moment before she focused on her.

Aella reached into her pocket and threw a screwdriver at Saffron, who cried out in confusion, trying to block it with her arms, but Aella caused it to tilt down with a gust of wind, hitting her in the stomach.

Aella shot both of her arms forward, causing a gust of wind to hit Jin in the face.

But, more specifically, in the eyes.

Jin cried out, stumbling backward.

Saffron, suitably distracted by her girlfriend blinking furiously, clearly wanting to rub at her eyes, but she couldn’t, considering she was still holding Romy.

Aella then twitched her finger as Saffron turned to face her, clearly outraged.

“AELLA, WHY?!” Jin cried, sounding incredibly betrayed. “WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?! I KNOW I MESSED UP, BUT I APOLOGIZED!”

Aella ignored her.

Saffron started to charge toward Aella, but the little gremlin had learned her lesson the last time they’d fought.

The screwdriver caught on the latch to Aella’s first glove, jamming it open.

Saffron didn’t notice, and Aella withdrew, knowing that Jin wouldn’t be going anywhere, and subtly let another screwdriver from her cloak.

It shot toward Saffron, jamming the other glove.

Before Saffron knew what was happening, Aella suddenly shot forward.

Saffron held up her hands to defend herself, but Aella grabbed onto both of them, yanking the gloves off with a grin.

Saffron cried out in surprise and confusion, but Aella wasn’t done. She stuffed the gloves into her cloak, reaching out with one hand and grabbed Saffron by the wrist.

Saffron didn’t seem to know what Aella was doing, but she looked rather scared.

Aella twisted her wrist and used her Semblance to cause Saffron to go flying toward the ground. When her back hit it, Aella let her screwdrivers fly out.

While they were doing so, Aella made sure to hit Jin with another gust of wind, causing her to scream in pain again, blinking her eyes furiously.

Aella’s screwdrivers, meanwhile, had jammed Saffron’s boots open, and she crouched down, yanking them off with a smirk.

She was rather proud of herself.

She grabbed the boots by their laces before she sprinted over, grabbing Romy and kicking Jin in the stomach to get her to release the little gremlin from her grasp.

Aella then unceremoniously threw herself out of the window, leaving Romy’s girlfriends behind to watch in shock.

Well, one was watching, and the other was struggling to get her eye contacts out of her eyes, groaning in pain.

“Where’s Romy?” Jin asked, letting out a little sigh when one of her contacts was taken out of her eye.

Saffron scrambled to her feet, though she was blushing from embarrassment.

Not only had Aella literally stolen her girlfriend, but also her weapons.

“HEY!” Saffron screamed out of the window, leaning on the edge. “GIVE ME BACK MY GIRLFRIEND, AELLA!”

Aella hesitated in midair.

Romy had been wiggling a bit in her arms, but Aella had just thought that that was a normal thing, considering she often shifted when she cried in someone’s arms.

But she now realized that Romy had been trying to free herself, while also spluttering about her girlfriends.

Aella realized that having watched her take out both of her girlfriends in about ten seconds flat would have been rather stunning…

So she didn’t exactly blame Romy for not being able to find the words.

Aella realized, in a moment of shock, that she had just beaten up both of Romy’s girlfriends and stolen her.

So… that wasn’t  _ great… _

She returned to the window a minute later, holding out Romy, and Saffron snatched her, holding her close to her chest defensively.

Saffron’s hands were shaking just a bit, and Aella didn’t know if she felt more proud or bad about what she’d done.

Turned out, it was proud, considering she reached into her cloak and pulled out her boots, dangling them up in the air by their laces.

“You want ‘em? Too bad, they’re mine now!” Aella said, letting out a little giggle.

Saffron’s eye twitched, and Aella sighed, letting the boots, and the gloves, drop to the ground.

“Sorry, I’ll just,” Aella glanced at her sister, who was still rubbing at her eyes, “leave you three to it then.”

With that, she took off down the hall, grimacing.

-

Romelle dashed out of the hall, gesturing at Auburn and Clover, the two that seemed the most innocent.

They both hurried into the hall, holding hands.

“Hey, Jin, Saff, Romy, can we talk to you for a minute?” Clover asked kindly.

“Yeah, it won’t be a big deal,” Auburn said.

The group had come up with this idea on the fly, the moment that they had seen that the three were walking down the hall.

“Yeah, one second,” Saffron said, holding Jin’s hand and guiding her toward the room.

Jin couldn’t see very well without her eye contacts, and she was just a bit away from legally blind, so Romy and Saffron had been guiding their girlfriend along since Aella had blinded her.

Romy was perched like a baby koala on Jin’s back, making sure that she didn’t hit anything, while Saffron was guiding her down the hall.

The three entered the room, and the door flew shut, Romelle having body slammed against it.

“Wh-”

Before Jin could finish asking what had happened, Ilesha reached out and slammed her shmazer into the electrical outlet beside her, causing all of the lights in the room, and probably the rest of the school to be honest, to go out. The room was dark, darker than it should have been, considering there were no windows, but it didn’t affect Saffron’s eyesight in the slightest.

It… seemed like some other people were acting on instinct as well, not thinking about it.

Lavey dashed forward, Cooper yelling at her where to go, seeing through his night vision goggles.

Crystal, meanwhile, was scrambling to use a screwdriver and open the vents, clearly not used to opening them.

Perhaps… it would have been a good idea for Crystal and Lavey to have switched jobs, considering Lavey got confused about some of Cooper’s instructions and hit the wall at a full sprint.

Cooper winced.

“Was that who I think it was?” Jin asked nervously.

“Ow,” Romy said, though her voice was muffled, considering Lavey was sprawled out on top of her.

“DID YOU JUST HAVE LAVEY TRY TO STEAL MY GIRLFRIEND IN THE DARK?!” Saffron shrieked.

They all froze at the word “girlfriend.”

Saffron scrambled over and grabbed Romy, throwing her over one shoulder, gently, like she was a cleanly folded jacket that she didn’t want to have to refold.

Saffron then marched over and grabbed Jin’s hand in her own, leading both of them out.

“Nobody come to the JARR dorm room!” Saffron snapped, slamming the door closed behind her with her foot.

-

Once Jin had on her backup glasses, which had an embarrassingly thick lens, she let out a sigh.

Jin and Saffron trudged over to the safety corner, and Saffron held out her arms, beckoning Romy over in the way that a small child would signal that they wanted to be picked up.

Romy shook her head.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, I’ll join you then. You two just relax.”

Jin and Saffron gave her a look of betrayal as they curled up together in the safety corner.

-

Romy had gathered all but one member of the RPS, leading them into the cafeteria.

“It has come to my attention, that the RPS has been lacking in purpose for the past few days, and I decided that you need a new pet project,” Romy said, standing in front of them all seriously, her arms folded behind her back as if she was talking to a group of soldiers.

“Sorry about everything-”

Romy cut Clover off.

“And I found our new mission statement.”

Romy pointed across the cafeteria.

Aella was seated at one of the tables, giggling at something none of them knew, but she suddenly sneezed, making an  _ adorable _ sound that had Clover let out an “aww.” Aella then reached into her cloak and pulled out a tissue. While she moved about, they all looked at her, watching intensely.

“But… without Aella, who will lead the RPS?” Clover asked.

Romelle wanted to argue, but she really couldn’t. Aella  _ had  _ carried the brunt of the RPS.

“There will  _ be _ no RPS, and I will be the new leader of this new version of our organization.”

“What are we doing?” Akio asked.

“We’re getting Aella the girlfriends she deserves, damnit!” Romy hissed, slamming her fist into her palm to emphasize her point. “We’re the ADG. Aella Deserves Girlfriends. And we’re going to get her some.”


	6. Last Day

Clover giggled as Auburn started to play with his hair, starting to pull away.

“Aubby, quit it!” he protested, but he didn’t stop him, and Auburn knew he wouldn’t.

“Why?” Auburn asked, trying to sound innocent, but he was smirking. “I like your hair. It’s all cute and soft.”

Auburn put his head on Clover’s shoulder while he played with his hair with one hand. His other hand was resting on Clover’s chest.

Clover blushed a little, glancing across the room for a moment.

But he supposed that the other couple in the room wouldn’t really care.

Lavey and Crystal, however, seemed rather disgusted by the display, but Clover didn’t care, reaching down to connect his lips with Auburn’s.

Auburn smiled into the kiss, leaning closer and cradling Clover’s face in his hand as he continued to mess with his hair fondly.

“Do you two mind?” Lavey called.

Clover pulled back for just a moment, staring down at Auburn with a loving expression on his face.

“Being with him? Never.”

Auburn flushed and shook his head sufferingly.

“Clove, stop it,” he said, giggling as he swatted his boyfriend playfully.

“Telling the truth? I could never lie to you,” Clover continued, grinning as he saw Auburn’s face turn a bit pinker.

Auburn buried his face in Clover’s shoulder, and Clover pulled him closer, planting a kiss on the top of his.

Auburn mumbled something that he didn’t hear, and he laughed, running his hand down Auburn’s back gently.

Crystal and Lavey turned away from the gross display of affection, but it seemed that the other side of the dorm room wasn’t much better either.

Adolpha and Romelle were on Adolpha’s bed, Romelle holding Adolpha’s face in her hand to make sure she didn’t get distracted or pull away giggling (which she did quite often) while her other hand reached to run down her arm.

Adolpha was seated on the bed, Romelle planted on her lap and pushing her back against the wall and occasionally pulling back to mumble something about tall girlfriends being more of a hassle than they were worth.

Adolpha just laughed every time, and it took Romelle a moment to stop her from getting distracted.

Romelle had just pulled back, which was a relief to Crystal and Lavey, and Adolpha reached one hand up, running it through Romelle’s hair and tucking it behind her ear.

“You know, I  _ really _ like your…,” Adolpha seemed at a loss for words, so she just reached one hand and gestured at Romelle, “everything.”

Romelle stared at her blankly for a moment.

“W-is the whole Soliel family cursed to be morosexuals?!” Romelle hissed.

Adolpha leaned closer, setting her forehead against Romelle’s.

“If it keeps you with me, then I  _ really _ hope so,” Adolpha said lovingly.

Romelle flushed and rolled her eyes.

“See? This is why we bother.”

Adolpha giggled before she sombered, staring at Romelle with that same fond expression she had seen so many times.

Romelle had, recently, in a state of distraction as she watched Adolpha fail to climb a step ladder to reach cookies for Lavey, told her sister that if she ever stopped talking about how much she loved that look…

Well, she had told Romy  _ several _ ways to kill her with as little mercy as possibly.

“I love you,” Adolpha whispered.

Romelle cradled her face gently.

“I love you, too.”

Adolpha groaned.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do the next three days.”

Today was the last day of the school year, and the group was celebrating the way they did best. The two weren’t going to see each other for three days, considering that was going to be the start of the family vacation… though, this one was rather different from the usual ones, considering it was mostly a celebration for Romy not dying.

Romelle had muttered that she did that everyday but nobody gave her a vacation.

“I know,” Romelle said, but she leaned in, cutting off anything Adolpha would have been able to say.

“I’m going to miss this,” Auburn said. “It was nice being able to cuddle up to you at night. You’re all warm and comfy.”

Clover laughed.

“Yeah, it’s the best part of being a couple!” Clover said, glancing over at Crystal and Lavey, giving them a small smirk.

Crystal flipped him off.

“You don’t have to do that to be a couple,” Lavey said, rolling her eyes.

“I think someone’s afraid of commitment,” Auburn said in a sing-song voice.

“Afraid of c-” Lavey gaped. “Do you know what it’s like being in a relationship with  _ Ilesha Ajax, _ Auburn?! It’s nothing  **but** commitment! That girl’s…,” Lavey had clearly been about to make an insult, but she smiled just a little bit, gaining a far off look.

Crystal rolled her eyes.

“She…,” Crystal hesitated too, “can be a lot sometimes.”

-

Aella looked around team JARR’s dorm room.

Romelle wasn’t here, she hadn’t been sleeping here for the past few nights, having made her new home team LAAC’s dorm room so that she could curl up beside Adolpha at any point she wanted. Jin, Saffron, and Romy were, as always, being adorable.

Pretty much, today was a day for couples.

Aella was a little sad for a moment before she grinned in excitement, pulling her scroll out of her pocket and sending a message.

A moment later, Cooper dashed into the dorm room, grinning up at Aella.

“Elly!” he called.

Aella used her Semblance to gently lift him into the air, dropping him in the hammock beside her.

He immediately burrowed into her cloak, putting his head on her shoulder.

Aella used her gliders to wrap around him and pull him closer.

She might not be in a couple, but at the moment, she didn’t really care.

She had people that would do anything for her, and she had the world’s most  _ adorable _ boy in her arms. She didn’t think she could want much more.

-

Romy was curled up between both of her girlfriends, and she had a content smile on her face.

Saffron leaned over and put her head on Jin’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around Romy’s waist and letting her eyes close contently.

Saffron hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep lately, and Jin said that had started even before Romy had gotten hurt.

Apparently both of them had had trouble sleeping without Romy curled up between them, which had almost made Romy cry when she’d heard it. They… they’d had trouble too. It hadn’t been just her that needed them.

She was needed.

Romy had never been needed before, at least she didn’t think so, but she found that she loved it  _ very _ much.

The idea that her presence made it easier for Saffron and Jin to sleep… it reminded her of all those nights where Saffron and Jin had comforted her to sleep. She… she had been doing the same for them.

The realization had been enough for her to actually start crying, and as she looked at the two of them now, curled up in bed, she couldn’t help but smile fondly, feeling tears of joy form in her eyes.

Yeah…

This… was actually her life now, wasn’t it?

It was… and it was better than she’d ever imagined.

-

Akio and Rosemary were talking to each other quietly. They were curled up in bed together, Rosemary’s head on Akio’s shoulder.

They were currently talking about how all of the couples in this school were so over the top with their affection.

Rosemary and Akio were also holding hands, both of them set on Akio’s stomach while they gave each other small smiles and talked.

Ilesha was on the other side of the room, sitting on her bed, trying to be distracted by her scroll, but she kept sighing and running a hand through her hair. She even glanced over at Rosemary and Akio a few times. It wasn’t hard to guess who she was thinking about, and it was even easier to guess why.

Akio and Rosemary didn’t seem to notice.

Suddenly, the door opened, and they all looked up.

Was that Crystal and Lavey?

Akio frowned. They never came here, and certainly not together, so what were they up to?

Crystal and Lavey were standing about as far apart as they could, considering they were going to the same destination, and they kept giving each other distrusting looks.

Ilesha sat up with a grin, staring at the two with a loving look in her eyes.

“Lav-Lav! Stally!” she cried excitedly, seeming to almost fall off of the bed in her haste to stand up. “Why are y-”

Crystal glanced at her sister, giving her one last glare, before she pointed at the bed.

Ilesha stopped talking, though she looked confused.

Lavey rolled her eyes and gently pushed their girlfriend onto the bed.

Crystal then unceremoniously shoved her to the middle of the bed, which was difficult, considering Ilesha had already laid down, and was watching the two of them with utter confusion.

Lavey finally groaned and, from the other side of the bed, reached over and, using her Semblance, lifted Ilesha up entirely, putting her in the middle of the bed.

Ilesha seemed a bit shocked at the action, seeming to have forgotten that Lavey was  _ actually _ capable of carrying her, and she gave her a look of utter love that made Lavey stumble, almost dropping her.

Crystal rolled her eyes and plopped down on the bed next to Ilesha, wiggling under the covers with a slightly frustrated expression on her face.

Lavey did the same on the other side, and they both put their heads on her shoulder.

Ilesha took a moment to realize what was happening before she gasped, her eyes widening as she grinned at the two of them.

“Are you-” Ilesha stumbled for a moment, “with me-ri-here?!”

Crystal and Lavey sighed at the same time.

“Yes,” Lavey said, rolling her eyes.

“Why?” Ilesha asked. “I thought you two hated sharing a bed.”

Crystal spoke before she thought, which, she had recently discovered, was something that happened a lot around Ilesha.

“Turns out we loved you more than we hated that,” she said.

Ilesha gasped and stared at Crystal with the same looked she’d given Lavey earlier.

Crystal flushed bright red.

“Can someone turn out the lights?”

“I got it!” Ilesha called, grabbing her shmazer off of the bedside table and jamming it into the nearest outlet.

“Did… did you just…,” Akio groaned. “The light switch was  **right next to you** !”

Ilesha laughed awkwardly, smiling down at her girlfriends after a moment with a fond look.

“I guess I just got distracted by the loves of my life.”

Lavey buried her face in Ilesha’s shoulder.

“You are the  _ cheesiest person I have ever met, _ ” Lavey muttered.

“HEY! SPARKY!” Jin yelled from down the hall. “DID YOU CUT THE LIGHTS?!”

“SORRY, JINNY!” Ilesha called, after covering Crystal and Lavey’s ears.

“THAT’S THE THIRD TIME THIS WEEK!” Jin called. “ROMY CAN’T SEE IN THE DARK!”

Ilesha shrugged.

“HONESTLY? I DON’T CARE RIGHT NOW!”

“WHAT?! WHY?!”

“LAV-LAV AND STALLY ARE IN HERE!”

“NO WAY! ARE THEY STAYING THERE?!”

“YEAH!”

“THAT’S GREAT, SPARKY!”

“I KNOW, THANKS!”

“THAT’S A REALLY BIG STEP FOR YOU GU-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Romelle screamed from down the hall.

There was a beat of silence.

“SORRY!” Ilesha and Jin yelled at the same time.

Crystal and Lavey both sighed sufferingly, but they had fond smiles on their faces as they fell asleep curled up beside her.


	7. Goodbyes

Yvenne had finished packing, and she glanced around the room for just a moment.

It was a large apartment, though not for the amount of people in it.

Xylia, who was wearing a tank top and sweatpants, was sitting at the kitchen counter, legs sticking out and stretching across the floor. Vander hopped over them, rolling her eyes.

“Why not just take up the whole kitchen, ya freaking spider,” Vander muttered.

Xylia stretched her legs out even further, not even slumping in the seat, and gave Vander a small look of irritation. She took a sip from her mug, which read “#1 Mom” in dark green cursive letters.

“Did ya hear what I said, Yvenne? Did  **_ya_ ** ?” Vander asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

Yvenne flushed.

“We get it, alright? I’m country, okay? Har de har har,” Yvenne muttered.

“Did she… did she just say…,” Vander looked up and grinned. “WHO HAD HAR DE HAR HAR FOR COUNTRY BITCH BINGO?!”

“YES! I DID!” Kylee screamed, sprinting out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel on as she fumbled with her scroll.

Yvenne hesitated for a moment, glancing at her roommate for a moment, her eyes widening.

Kylee grinned in excitement as she showed off her scroll, marking off another box.

“It was right next to yee haw!” Kylee exclaimed. “Haha, one away from bingo!”

“You know this means you have to message us if you say something especially country, right?” Torey asked, having just left her bedroom. She yawned, stretching up her arms and reaching for a coffee mug. She couldn’t. “Xy, why do you always keep the damn mugs out of reach!”

Xylia glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Not my fault you’re short.”

Even sitting down, Xylia was taller than Torey, who glared up at her menacingly.

“Just get me a cup,” she muttered.

“That’s not a nice way to talk to your mother,” Xylia said, a small smirk on her lips.

Torey rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath as Xylia leaned over and grabbed a cup, not even getting out of her seat.

Torey grumbled and went to make herself coffee.

“Don’t burn down the place,” Xylia muttered.

“It was one time,” Torey growled. “Besides, it was mostly Van’s fault.”

“Was not!” Vander snapped.

“I didn’t even know you could burn water,” Kylee muttered to herself as she left the room, going to go change in her bedroom.

Yvenne let out a breath, turning to see Torey as she leaned over the counter, smirking back at Yvenne in an almost lazy fashion.

“You know, it’s going to suck seeing you leave, but at least Vander will stop bitching about having to share a bed,” Torey said, shrugging.

“Yeah, at least Van’ll be happy,” Yvenne said.

“Anyone have her doing a contraction between a name and the word will?” Vander called.

“She did that one last week!” Kylee called back, her voice muffled from behind the door.

There was a fist pounding on the wall.

“What did you say she said?” Waseem shouted from next door.

“VAN’LL!” Vander screamed back.

“Yeah, she said it! Had it in my center square!” Quon called.

Yvenne groaned and shook her head sufferingly.

Today was the day before she had to leave for home. She was going to spend three days in Vacuo with her family before she was supposed to go on some all expense paid vacation. Something about a child in your care dying being a traumatic event… Yvenne wasn’t entirely sure, but since it was a work thing, she guessed she had to go.

“Where did you say you were going again?” Kylee asked.

“To some vacation,” Yvenne said, shrugging.

Xylia groaned and held out her hand expectantly.

“What?” Yvenne asked.

“Give it to me, I need to make sure it isn’t one of those scams that tell you you won a free prize.”

Yvenne flushed.

“I wouldn’t fall for one of those!”

“You’re called country bitch for a reason,” Torey pointed out.

“Whatever, Metal Head,” Yvenne muttered, passing over the paper to Xylia.

Xylia looked over it for a moment before her eyes widened.

“Hey, Van, isn’t that the girl you’re in love with?” she asked, gesturing at a picture.

Vander leaned closer, rolling her eyes.

“I can think someone is hot and not be  _ in love _ with them, Xy,” she muttered.

“She talks about her constantly,” Yvenne said, rolling her eyes sufferingly.

“You do prefer her music to ours, which is just a betrayal to this family,” Torey said, crossing her arms.

“I don’t, I didn’t betray you guys, and we’re not even related,” Vander said, though it was clear from her tone that she had repeated this quite a lot.

“The wrinkles you guys give me suggests otherwise,” Xylia muttered. “Plus, I’m pretty sure we are.”

“You’re two years older than us, Xy. You physically couldn’t have given birth then,” Kylee said, running a brush through her short hair as she walked out of her room. Ever since Xylia had taken her to have it cut, she had been  _ very _ proud of it, showing it off any chance she got.

“Literally everything else says that I’m your mother,” Xylia muttered.

“We look nothing alike. Why didn’t I get the tall genes?!” Torey cried.

“You didn’t deserve them. Neither you nor Yvenne did,” Xylia siad, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not related!” Yvenne cried, flushing a bit.

“You will be one day, when you finally come out to your parents. That’s what happened with me,” Kylee said, rolling her eyes.

Yvenne groaned and shook her head.

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m  _ straight _ ! I have a  **boyfriend** ! Just because you’re all… l… bi… kitchen supply sexual, doesn’t mean I am.”

“It’s called pansexual,” Vander called.

Yvenne groaned.

“You know I still don’t know what those things are,” Yvenne said.

“Yeah, you should educate yourself,” Torey said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, you’re part of the family now, legally or not, so you might as well.”

“I know what you are, at least,” Yvenne said.

“Did… did she just talk about my sexuallity like it was an object?” Torey asked.

“Well what is she then?” Vander asked, smirking as she leaned on the counter in front of Yvenne.

“She’s… a… lezbean?” Yvenne said slowly.

“Lesbian,” Torey corrected.

“Right! Sorry!” Yvenne said quickly, flushing.

“Ironic she doesn’t know that one,” Xylia muttered, sipping her coffee.

Vander’s panther ear twitched at the words and she snickered.

Yvenne frowned, not having heard what she said.

“Just hurry up and get back, I need all seven of my children in one place,” Xylia said, reaching up to ruffle Yvenne’s hair with one hand with a small smirk.

Yvenne flushed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll call you, alright?” Yvenne said.

The front door opened, and two forms walked in.

The first was short, just a little bit taller than Torey herself, which was saying something, considering she was, to quote Torey “five foot one and a half inches tall!” He had dark green hair, which Yvenne had learned that he dyed instead of it being natural, and ice blue eyes. Behind him was a pair of raven wings, which were almost long enough to drag on the ground as he walked. He had on a wide grin as he walked in, and he looped an arm around Yvenne for a moment.

Yvenne rolled her eyes, but she gave him a small, fond smile and leaned into the touch. Waseem was the most physically affectionate of the group, and Yvenne had found it odd, but she had grown accustomed to it.

The second was a bit taller, though not by much. He had dark brown hair that spiked on the ends, and his red eyes were almost menacing for anyone that looked at him. His quol tail, however, detracted from that just a bit, considering it was long enough that it dragged on the ground behind him when he walked.

He gave Yvenne a small smile and a nod, just enough to let her know that he was acknowledging that she was leaving today, and left it at that.

The final person in this group of dysfunctional almost adults, plus one  _ real _ adult, she supposed, was just leaving one of the bedrooms.

Pandora let out a long sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. She was taller than average, making her tower over Yvenne (though, to be fair, almost all of her new friends did). She had light auburn hair that went down just a little bit below her shoulders. Her eyes, which were a light shade of emerald green, were, as always, calculating as she looked at the group. She was always slow to action, mostly because she overthought everything she did before she did something.

Yvenne had realized that the first time that they had met, considering Yvenne had tried to say hello, and then Pandora had panicked, said “Greetings, Vaconian,” before she had sprinted off in a blind panic.

Pandora was calmer around her now, not seeming as skittish, and while Yvenne was saying her goodbyes, she hesitantly reached out for a hug.

Pandora seemed to consider for just a moment before she leaned forward.

Pandora was a lot taller than Yvenne, but she was forced to wrap both of her arms around Pandora while she stood there, not holding her in the slightest, but leaning down enough to put her chin on her head.

Pandora didn’t do normal hugs,  _ couldn’t _ do normal hugs most of the time, and it was a bit awkward with Yvenne, but the moment she walked back over to join Xylia, it seemed natural. She leaned against her side without any arm movement or words, and Xylia wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

Yvenne gave her final goodbye after a moment and left after, though she shot one last look over her shoulder to see the seven waving at her as she exited the apartment.

She didn’t know how, and she certainly didn’t know when, but these seven had become her home away from home.

And, even though she’d be happy to see her family, and her boyfriend, again, she’d feel like she was missing something until she got back to them.


	8. The Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the break, couldn't write yesterday, but here's three thousand words!

Crystal groaned as she sat up, shaking her head a bit and running a hand through her hair. She groaned a bit, glancing around the room for a moment. It was weird to see Aella sleeping in the hammock above her, considering she had gotten used to not staying in the same room with her. What  _ wasn’t  _ odd, but was still frustrating, was that she saw Lavey sleeping across the room. Her eyes narrowed and she grumbled something under her breath, rolling to her feet. As she started to walk through the room, she immediately bumped into Adolpha’s bed.

Adolpha let out a sound of confusion, her eyes open for just a moment before she grumbled and curled up in a ball on her bed, clearly not bothered by Crystal hitting her bed.

Crystal yawned and moved through the bedroom on muscle memory, like she usually did in the morning, but it didn’t work, causing her to bump into the doorframe and grumble, shaking her head.

Right. She wasn’t in the dorm room anymore, which meant that she was  _ probably _ going to bump into things when she tried to move around with muscle memory.

She entered the kitchen, finding that Weiss was already pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Crystal held up a cup, and Weiss filled it up for her.

“So, how are you and Ilesha doing?” Weiss asked, trying to sound casual.

“Good,” Crystal took a sip of her coffee, and a goofy grin grew across her lips. “Really good. Except…”

Lavey stepped into the kitchen, and Crystal’s eyes narrowed.

She immediately left the room at a brisk pace, causing Lavey to sigh in relief as she started to get her breakfast together.

Weiss seemed to be in a state of shock.

“Are… are you two okay? Why’d she just… leave?” Weiss asked.

“We’re fine. Just been seeing each other too much. We agreed that, if Ilesha isn’t here, then for the next few days, we don’t want to see each other. At all.”

“That… doesn’t sound too heal-”

“Are you and Aunt Winter dating the same person?” Lavey demanded instantly.

“Wh-” Weiss hesitated. “Well, no, but-”

“Then stay out of it,” Lavey replied.

“Ruby, Yang!” Weiss called, looking at her wives, who were sitting at the table, pleadingly.

“It’s not healthy,” they both said at the same time.

“What would you do if you married her?” Blake asked.

“Like a custody thing? She gets her Mondays through Wednesdays and I get her the rest of the time,” Lavey said, shrugging.

“First of all, that’s…  _ wildly unfair, _ and second of all, that’s a very inconsistent lifestyle for a little…,” Blake hesitated, “Ilesha.”

“Well, I’m secretly hoping that Ilesha will break up with her at some point and then it’ll just be us,” Lavey replied, shrugging. “So hopefully it never gets to that point in the first place.”

“That’s even  **more** unhealthy,” Ruby cried.

“Well, I guess I’d  _ kinda _ feel bad if Cy didn’t get to date her anymore…,” Lavey hesitated, thinking about if their roles were reversed.

She shivered.

“Yeah, never mind, for now, we’re sticking with the custody thing. Maybe we can have an extra bedroom.”

-

Lavey sprinted into the room, grabbing Adolpha and pulling her off of the couch.

“Wh-”

“Just stand still. And don’t say anything. You shouldn’t be able to mess that up,” Lavey hissed.’

She positioned Adolpha in front of her, Adolpha glancing back for just a moment before Crystal walked through the room.

Crystal looked around with narrowed eyes for just a moment before she sighed in relief, taking a seat on the couch.

Adolpha waited for Lavey to do something, but she continued to cower behind her back, almost as if she was scared of something. But Adolpha had only ever seen her sister scared when it came to Ilesha (and spiders), and she wasn’t anywhere nearby, and Adolpha didn’t hear any scuttling, so she was, understandably, confused.

Lavey suddenly leapt into the air, grabbing Adolpha by the back of her jacket and clinging onto her for dear life.

“You alright, Dolph?” Crystal asked, seeing Adolpha stumble a bit.

Adolpha was about to respond, but Lavey leaned forward to whisper behind her. With her four ears, she was more than capable of hearing it.

“Don’t let her know I’m here.”

“Uh, yeah, just… gonna go to the kitchen,” Adolpha said, shrugging.

The movement caused her jacket, which was, as always, unzipped, to start slipping.

Adolpha casually reached both of her hands up, grabbing onto the zipper on both sides and holding it over her shoulders.

Adolpha took a second to consider, Crystal watching her, before she took a few backwards steps out of the room, unable to turn her back to her sister.

Crystal’s eyes narrowed for a moment before she sighed, shrugging.

“Ever since you broke, you’ve been weird as  _ shit, _ Dolph,” Crystal said, leaning back on the couch and letting out a breath of relief.

Adolpha skidded out of the room and Lavey dropped down, letting out a groan.

“Thanks, Dolph.”

“Yeah… what was that exactly?”

Lavey hesitated, not wanting to answer.

“You know, I think I heard you scroll go off. You left it in the living room, right? Maybe it’s Romelle.”

Adolpha hesitated before she smiled just a bit and nodded, walking back into the living room.

Lavey rolled her eyes, wondering if she should be worried at how easy that had been.

-

Clover stared longing at his scroll, sighing. He was currently messaging Auburn, but it just wasn’t the same.

“Pathetic. It’s really just gross at this point,” Raelynn said, rolling her eyes at her brother.

He glanced up, eyes narrowing.

“What?!”

“Your codependency. Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Raelynn asked, smirking.

“Braelyn is literally sitting in your lap right now!” Clover shouted.

Raelynn and Braelyn both looked up.

He was right, obviously, and Raelynn had been playing idly with her girlfriend’s hair as the two insulted her brother.

Braelyn really did know how to charm a girl.

“That’s because we’re the best relationship in this whole group,” Raelynn said.

“I dunno, we could be better,” Braelyn replied, smirking as she leaned a bit closer to her girlfriend, starting to whistle something just for her to hear.

Clover glared at them, and he was about to say something, but Ilia dashed into the room.

“What’d I say about touching?!” Ilia snapped, pulling out a spray bottle and shooting them with water.

Raelynn hissed and Braelyn let out a squawk of shock, holding up her hands to try and block it.

“Would you please  _ stop that _ ?!” Braelyn cried, looking over to her girlfriend for help.

“Mooooom! Daaaaadddd!” Raelynn called. “Mama just used the spray bottle on us again!”

“Il! We told you to stop that!” Pyrrha called.

“WHERE DID SHE EVEN GET ONE?!” Sun shouted. “WE BURNED THE LAST TWO!”

“How do you even burn water?” Braelyn whispered.

Raelynn stared at her girlfriend.

“Babe, they poured the water out first.”

Braelyn’s eyes widened.

“Oooh, makes sense.”

Raelynn rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her girlfriend’s hair again, hoping to silence her.

-

Saffron moaned and rolled over on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s wrong with your sister?” Coco asked, glancing at Rosemary.

“I miss my girlfriends.”

“Oh, right J-”

Coco froze.

“Wait… your  _ what _ ?! Girlfriends?!” Coco shouted.

Rosemary snickered, and Velvet stuck her head in the room, raising an eyebrow.

“Who’s the new one?!” Coco cried. “Wait, it is  _ one, _ isn’t it? Please don’t tell me you’ve got more than that.”

“It’s just one,” Saffron said, sighing dramatically. “I miss her cute little face.”

Coco let out a sigh of relief.

Okay. It was one of the cute ones. It couldn’t be that bad.

“Who is it?” she asked gently.

Saffron sighed fondly.

“Romy.”

Coco froze for a moment before her mind caught up to her.

“Wh-you-” Coco spluttered for a few moments, “you’re dating  _ her _ ?!”

Saffron nodded, a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, it took a little while, but yeah, we’re dating.”

“I can’t believe this! Both of you! Both of you betrayed me!” Coco called.

“Wh-” Rosemary gaped. “How did I betray you?!”

“You’re dating Akio! You connected me to Yang  **_and_ ** Weiss! Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Coco cried.

“Found love only to be yelled at by my mother?” Rosemary asked, her voice filled with sarcasm.

Coco rolled her eyes.

“And now  _ you, _ ” Coco gestured at Saffron, “did the same thing and connected me to  **_Neopolitan_ ** ! NEO!”

Saffron rolled her eyes, not seeming to hear her mother nor her outrage as she pulled out her scroll, smiling fondly at a message from Romy.

“Is that her?!”

“Yeah,” Saffron said fondly, “it is.”

Coco groaned and grabbed her own scroll.

“That’s it! I’m calling! Dear Dust, it’s already starting!” Coco cried. “Our lives are going to be interconnected now!”

“They already were,” Rosemary called, rolling her eyes.

“BUT NOW I HAVE NO ESCAPE!” Coco screamed. “I had an escape plan if she ever went haywire again!”

Rosemary rolled her eyes and sent a message to her boyfriend.

Rose: Wish you were here.

Akio: What? Why?

Rose: To laugh at these idiots with me.

Akio: Aw, miss you too babe.

-

“Wait, you’re dating who?” Yang asked, grinning in excitement.

Jin found it odd that her mother would be this enthusiastic.

“Romy.”

Yang barked out a laugh.

“Good job! Good for you! I gotta make a call!” Yang said, pulling out her scroll.

“Wh-that’s it? No yelling about betrayal and connecting you to Neo?” Jin asked.

“What? No, I already gave up when Romelle and Adolpha got together. But now you’ve connected  _ Coco and Neo _ ! Good job, Sweetie!” Yang called.

She picked her scroll up and held it to her ear.

“Guess who it is?”

“Yang? The sweet release of death?” Coco asked, sounding exhausted.

“Nope! Karma!”

Coco groaned.

“Why does the world hate me?”

“Most things you end up saving turn against you,” Yang said, shrugging.

Coco sighed again, and Yang was pretty sure that she was rubbing her face with her hands.

“You know you totally deserve this, right?” Yang asked, sounding undeniably smug.

Coco grimaced as she remembered what she’d done just a few months before. She remembered calling Yang after she’d heard about Romelle and Adolpha dating and saying something  _ very _ similar to this.

“Doesn’t mean I want it,” Coco grumbled.

“Too bad!” Yang said happily. “You know, this means that you, Neo, and I are going to be connected for a  _ long _ time, right? Oh, it’s going to be great. Would you like to come over here to plan the wedding, or should I come over there?”

“I hate you,” Coco grumbled.

“Aw, that’s not a nice thing to say to your  _ future sister-in-law, _ Coco!”

“I hate you even more than I did a second ago. I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Well, you know me! I’m very good at doing the impossible!”

-

Romy looked around at her family, raising an eyebrow.

Today had been strange. Nobody had yelled at her, yet, and she hadn’t been ordered to do any chores either, which meant that today was suspiciously good. She’d spent most of it on the couch messaging her girlfriends, which had been enough of a distraction for her to not realize that everyone had been tiptoeing around her for the entire day.

She sighed and put her scroll in her pocket, heading toward the kitchen. She glanced inside, finding that all three of her family members were scrambling about, clearly trying to cook. She was surprised they were doing so, considering the Soliel family was… not very talented in the culinary arts. Ciel was the only one that could make something edible, but even on her best days that was a generous definition of the word.

Why would they be trying to now?

She walked inside, feeling slightly wary. Her scroll buzzed for the tenth time since she had put it in her pocket, and she sighed quietly, grabbing it.

Saffy: Are you alright?

Jin: Why aren’t you responding? Are you hurt again?

Saffy: I can head over now, just let me get my gloves.

Romy: Guys, I’m fine, I just need to talk to my family, be back in a minute.

Romy rolled her eyes at their overreaction, but she couldn’t help the small smile that was growing on her lips. Even if it was over the top, she was still happy to know that they cared.

After everything she had gone through, she thought it wasn’t too bad to take some comfort in that fact.

“What are you three up to?” Romy finally asked, crossing her arms against her chest as she glared at her mothers and sister.

The three jumped, spinning to face her.

“Oh, Romy, didn’t see you there,” Ciel said gently, giving her a small smile. “How about you go lay back down? We’ll take care of dinner.”

“What? No, I can help,” Romy said. She glanced at Romelle, who was trying to hide a knife behind her back. It wasn’t the first time Romy had seen her sister do that, but it was the first time she’d seen her do it because she was chopping vegetables. 

“How about you go rest,” Romelle replied, putting one hand on her sister’s wrist to stop her from grabbing a knife.

_ ‘Yeah, just let us take care of this,’ _ Neo signed, giving her a small smile.

“You three are acting weird,” Romy said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “What’s going on?”

“Going on? W-” Ciel forced a laugh, “What a ridiculous idea!”

Romy’s eyes narrowed.

“You died, we want to make sure that you’re alright,” Romelle said straight forward, shrugging.

Romy groaned.

“I’m cleared! There’s nothing you have to worry about!” Romy cried.

Neo and Ciel shared a look.

“You know, Romy, I think this might be a good time to have a talk. Your mom and I-”

“Moms, we already  _ had _ the talk,” Romy said, blushing.

Both of them froze.

Neo snickered after a moment and Ciel flushed, glaring at her daughter.

“Nope, not that one, another one,” Ciel said.

Neo and Ciel shared another look before they sighed.

“Romy, we don’t think that you should go back to Beacon next year.”

Romelle’s gaze shot between her sister and her parents, eyes widening.

But she didn’t say anything.

“WHAT?!”

“Well, you already died once, we  _ really _ don’t want to push our luck,” Ciel said.

“You can’t just take me out of school! I got hurt! So what?! I’m still here!” Romy cried.

_ ‘You didn’t get hurt, you  _ **_died_ ** _! I watched you die!’ _ Neo snapped.

“So what?! Everyone dies at some point!”

Romelle looked up, eyes wide, and slowly shook her head.

Romy didn’t even need telepathy to know that her sister was trying to communicate that she’d messed up.

“Wh-that’s not even an argument!” Ciel cried. “Not everyone dies at  _ seventeen, _ Romy! I knew we never should have let you two go!”

“You died!” Romy cried, scrambling at this point. “You kept fighting, didn’t you?!”

_ ‘Hey, she’s using  _ **_your_ ** _ past against us for once instead of me!’ _ Neo signed.

Ciel put one hand on Neo’s one, her form of saying “shut up.”

“Romy, I was trying to  _ save the world _ ! Of course I was going to keep fighting!” Ciel snapped.

Romy threw up her arms.

“I’m perfectly,” there was a moment of hesitation, “fine.”

Romelle’s eye twitched.

Romy let out a quiet sigh before connecting her sister telepathically.

_ Don’t tell me you just hurt your arm. _

_ I didn’t. _

_ Bitch, don’t lie to me. _

_ Okay, just a little bit. _

_ How are you so bad at this?! _ Romelle cried.

Romelle spun to face her parents, standing in front of her sister and trying to block her from view as she slowly put her arms down, holding one with the other.

“Listen, I don’t want her to go back either… but…,” Romelle clenched one of her fists as she spoke, “but she has two girlfriends that would make sure that she doesn’t get hurt.”

“That doesn-”

Ciel cut herself off, clearly surprised as the words caught up to her.

_ ‘What?! Who?!’ _ Neo signed.

“Saffron and Jin,” Romelle replied, crossing her arms and continuing to block Romy.

The two parents took a moment to glance at each other.

“That… does make me feel slightly better,” Ciel said slowly, glancing at her wife.

“And, more importantly,” Romelle gritted her teeth, “this is her decision, and even if you’re her mothers, you can’t make it for her. This is her life, and… even if you want to change it… or fix it… you have to leave it up to her.”

-

Aella shifted in her hammock after a moment, her nose twitching.

Her eyes opened groggily.

Was that food? Did she smell food?

She didn’t know why, but she was hungry. She took a second to reach into her cloak, pulling out a watch.

Eight, huh? Got up earlier than she thought she would. Must be breakfast.

Aella grumbled and put her watch back in her cloak before she rolled out of her hammock, literally, and started to float down to the kitchen.

She looked around, finding that everyone was looking at her, but she shrugged. It was weird to see them all up this early on the break, especially without coffee, but she didn’t really care. She was tired, and she just wanted some food before she went back to get a quick nap. She could start her day later, right?

After all, it was only eight.

Aella sat down at her seat and took a moment, frowning.

“Meatloaf? Odd choice,” she mumbled.

Everyone glanced at her.

“Aella, are you… alright?” Ruby asked hesitantly.

“Mmm, yeah, just a little bit tired, I suppose. Didn’t sleep much when I was running the RPS.”

“I assumed you were tired,” Weiss replied, though her voice was gentle.

Aella shrugged, already starting to eat. It was weird that they were having meatloaf for breakfast, but who was she to judge?

She ate quickly, yawning and stretching.

“I think I’m gonna go take a quick nap… see you guys later.”

Aella started to fly out.

“What-I-a nap?!” Adolpha hissed. “It’s eight o’clock at night, Aella!”

Aella hesitated where she hovered, glancing at the window.

It was dark outside.

“Huh. Suppose it is. Night, guys!”


	9. Background

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This happened like a year ago in the timeline, like the beginning of the first year at Beacon! Hope you like the new characters!

Yvenne sighed as she hurried up the stairs. Her host family for this year was probably frustrated with her for being late. But… she couldn’t figure out the cabs! It had taken her twenty minutes to hail a cab, and she had almost gotten herself lost on the way up here, but she was here now. Yvenne put her bags down and took one last deep breath before she knocked on the door.

“Just a second!” a woman called.

There were loud footsteps, several sets actually, and Yvenne found herself getting nervous. She wasn’t sure how many people were in there. All she knew was that the letter she’d received that told her that the family dynamic was “odd.”

“Damnit!” another voice shouted.

“Hey!” another cried.

There was a thump behind the door, but Yvenne didn’t know what it had been.

The door swung open after a moment, and a behemoth of a woman stood in front of her. She was at least six and a half feet tall, making her a giant in comparison to Yvenne, who didn’t quite graze the five foot line. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, her long hair in a ponytail as she looked down at Yvenne.

“Uh… hello?” the woman asked slowly.

Yvenne realized she had been staring, and she flushed.

“Hi, I’m Yvenne Hilyard, the exchange student from Vacuo.”

The woman hesitated for a moment.

“Right… the exchange student… yeah, that one! Sorry, come on in, sorry if it’s a bit of a mess.”

The woman took a step to the side, revealing the apartment to Yvenne.

It was small, or, well, it was large for an apartment, but with how many people there were in the room, she thought that the apartment was tiny in comparison.

There were five people in the room, and suddenly everything made sense.

One of the forms, one that wasn’t too much taller than herself, was lying on the ground, Yvenne supposed that her having fallen over was the thump she’d heard. Yvenne was about to continue looking around the room, but she froze the moment she saw the little polar bear ears on top of her head.

Was… was the girl a Faunus?

Yvenne felt a bit of excitement grow in her. She’d barely met  _ any _ Faunus in her life, and she had  _ so many _ questions for her. Yvenne glanced around the room after a moment

There were others, and she was surprised to see that the first girl was  _ not _ the only Faunus!

Another, this one wearing a leather jacket and towering over Yvenne, though not like the first woman had. She had a pair of panther ears, which were covered with multiple piercings that glinted in the light.

There were two boys, which made her rather nervous. She’d been raised in a small town, and the idea of them sharing an apartment with her made her feel nervous. She glanced away from the boys.

She saw another girl, and this one made her rather nervous. She was dressed a lot like the first one, except she was also wearing her hair in a style that Yvenne had never seen, with most of it shaved. She glanced over at Yvenne and gave her a wink, causing Yvenne to jump and look away, her face heating up.

The last one her gaze settled on was a fair bit taller than her, though she seemed average compared to the others. She had auburn hair that fell down to a little beneath her shoulders, and her emerald green eyes looked nervous as she glanced around the room, though her gaze kept circling back to Yvenne. She gave her a tentative smile, and the other girl jumped before she slowly returned it.

“So, uh,” the first woman who had let her in was, for some reason, glancing over at the nearest trash can, “what’s, uh, what’s your name?”

“Yvenne Hilyard. I already told ya that.”

“Right, sorry, just… a little frazzled. I’m Xylia, that’s Kylee, Torey, Waseem, Quon, Vander, and Pandora. You know, she seems to like you, even gave you a smile. Isn’t that something?”

Yvenne didn’t seem to understand, so she just nodded along.

“Where are you from again?” Xylia asked.

“Vacuo.”

“Oooh, a country girl,” Vander said, leaning back against the wall. “Don’t think we’ve ever had ourselves one of those, have we, Pan?”

Pandora hesitated for a moment before her eyes widened, like a deer caught in the headlights.

She contemplated for one second before she waved at Yvenne.

“Greetings, Vaconian,” she said awkwardly before she turned and ran into one of the bedrooms.

Yvenne watched her go, flushing just slightly.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“What? Oh, that was Pandora. She’s a bit skittish, but don’t worry, she’s probably going to warm up to you if you don’t mess it up,” Xylia replied.

Yvenne nodded, glancing around for a moment to look at the people again.

“Where… are your parents?” she asked slowly. She wanted to make a good impression on them too, but she supposed it would make sense if they weren’t off of work yet…

“Mom’s over there,” Vander said, waving dismissively toward Xylia, who rolled her eyes.

Yvenne glanced over at Xylia, and the other girl shrugged.

“What? I’m old enough to have kids… technically.”

“Not this old,” Kylee muttered.

“I heard that, and you’re lucky you’re here in the first place,” Xylia replied, but there was no malice to it.

“Thanks, so kind of you to say.”

“Hey! I saved you, and the thanks I get is half assed. That’s the real tragedy here.”

Kylee rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her lips.

Xylia turned back to Yvenne.

“But, I suppose that, legally, I am their mother, and you aren’t going to find any other parents around here,” Xylia said.

“Definitely not,” Vander agreed. “They kind of messed up, a lot, and that’s why we’re here!”

“I thought it was because she kidnapped us,” Torey muttered.

“If I’d kidnapped you, I would have returned you in the first half hour,” Xylia replied.

Torey gasped and Vander snickered, hitting her on the arm.

“But yeah, they’re my kids, adopted most of them a few months ago, but I got that brat,” she pointed at Vander, “and Pandora a little bit before.”

“Pandora’s her favorite,” Quon called.

“Yeah, because she’s the only one of you that hasn’t been thrown in jail before. That’s why the captain called about her,” Xylia said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, the time I got arrested wasn’t my fault,” Waseem defended.

“I told you not to go with them, but you just  _ had  _ to sneak into that concert,” Xylia muttered.

“By them do you mean you?! You were there!” Waseem cried.

“Do as I say, not as I do, and that was when I was in high school, totally different person way back then,” Xylia said, waving her hand dismissively.

“It was last year!” Quon called. “You literally graduated three months ago!”

“And I have six children now! Stay in school, kids,” Xylia replied, waving her hand.

Yvenne glanced around, her eyes dart between the different teenagers.

She hadn’t even been here five minutes and she was already overwhelmed.

-

Xylia glanced up as Yvenne stepped outside, saying something about needing some fresh air.

All of her children were already staring at her, and even Pandora opened the door to her room, poking her head in.

“I didn’t know we had an exchange student coming,” Vander said, frowning.

“Yeah, I would have rescheduled my date tonight if I’d known,” Kylee added, crossing her arms.

“Don’t lie,” Torey said, rolling her eyes.

“I didn’t know we had an exchange student either!” Xylia hissed.

They all looked at her, and she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

She guessed that when she was registering them all for school, she may have, accidentally, clicked a few boxes without reading them… and one could have been about an exchange program.

Shit.

“Alright… alright! Vander, Kylee, can you two go to the store? We don’t have anything for dinner tonight,” Xylia said.

“Yeah, yeah, we can take my bike,” Vander said, grinning already.

“I still think she got that because of-”

“Say it and you  _ die, _ ” Vander snapped, glaring at Torey.

“What?! Not my fault you’re totally head over heels for, like, the most famous person on Remnant.”

Vander flushed and smacked her adopted sister on the arm before she started to stalk out of the room, Kylee at her heels.

“Come on, we need to be quick. I have a-”

“A date! Yeah, we know, you have a new one pretty much every night,” Vander muttered.

“Whatever happened to that art student? What was her name? Pe… Persephone?” Waseem asked.

“No, it was Penelope, dumbass,” Torey snapped.

“You’re both wrong, it was Paisley,” Kylee said, “at least… I think that was her name. Doesn’t matter, we broke up weeks ago.”

“I wouldn’t call the end of your relationships a ‘breakup,’ but more like a ‘morning after’ kind of deal,” Quon said.

Kylee glared at him.

“What? Just saying,” he replied, holding up his hands, but there was a smirk on his face.

The door opened and Vander tugged Kylee out, almost bumping into Yvenne, who jumped.

“Sorry about that,” Vander said, giving her a small smile and a wink before pulling her adoptive sister outside.

Yvenne flushed and watched her go for a moment before turning back to the group.

“Alright, now that they’re gone, which of their rooms are we putting her in?” Xylia asked.

“Putting her in Kylee’s is just cruel and unusual punishment,” Torey replied.

Xylia grimaced.

“That’s true. Vander it is!” she said, giving Yvenne a small smile before starting to lead her to the closest bedroom.

Yvenne glanced around for a moment, her eyes widening.

“It’s just one bed, but don’t worry, Vander won’t try any funny business, she’s rather preoccupied with some stupid celebrity crush,” Xylia said, waving her hand.

Yvenne frowned in confusion, glancing over at Xylia.

“Funny business?” she asked.

Xylia hesitated for just a moment.

“Never mind. Just don’t worry about it. The boys stay in the apartment next door, and Kylee usually takes care of her…  _ business _ outside of here.”

Yvenne wanted to ask what she meant, but she was also rather worried about what it could be.

“Dinner will be ready after they get back, so you just start unpacking, alright?”

Yvenne nodded mutely, and Xylia patted her on the shoulder before she walked out.

-

Xylia felt her scroll buzz and she glanced down.

“Oh no,” she muttered. “Please no, please no, please no-”

She put the scroll up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Xylia.”

She sighed.

“Hello, Captain Myers,” she said, her voice monotone.

“We have your kids.”

“Which ones?”

“Kylee and Vander.”

She put herself on mute.

“Fuck!”

She put herself off mute.

“Alright, alright… I’ll be over soon…”

“Bring that Newman girl with you.”

Xylia smirked and glanced behind her at Pandora, who had slightly withdrawn from her room, sending glances over at Yvenne, who was watching her with a nervous glint to her eyes.

“If you insist.”

They said their goodbyes before she hung up, spinning.

“You three,” she gestured at Quon, Waseem, and Torey, “don’t burn the apartment down. Panny, you’re coming with me.”

Pandora jumped a bit, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“Where are you going?” Torey asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Police station.”

“What?!” Yvenne cried. “What happened?!”

“I don’t know, something about battery and animals.”

All of them, excluding Yvenne, nodded, and Yvenne let out a cry of shock.

“They did what?!”

“I don’t know yet,” Xylia said, glancing back at Pandora.

Pandora had leapt over the couch, deftly avoiding touching anyone in the slightest, and hurried over.

Pandora hesitantly leaned against her side as they left the apartment, and Xylia wrapped an arm around her with a small smile on her face.

-

“I’m sorry, can you tell me the story  _ one more time _ ?” Xylia asked.

She glanced over at Vander and Kylee, who were both staring at the ground.

“They beat up a man and then proceeded to steal his cat.”

Pandora took a glance at her siblings, raising an eyebrow.

Kylee held the cat closer to her chest. It was a small thing with long, fluffy white fur and dull blue eyes that could almost be considered gray. Xylia wondered how old the thing was, but she supposed that it couldn’t be fully grown.

“Why does she still have it?” Xylia asked.

“She bit the first person that tried to touch it,” the captain said, though he was still watching Pandora.

Kylee smirked and Vander rolled her eyes.

“M-I mean, Xy,” Vander flushed a bit, “they were abusing the little guy. And that’s what we do, right? We take care of those that need saving, right? That’s what you did.”

Xylia looked away from her adoptive daughter.

The captain was barely watching her, instead focused on Pandora.

Pandora was looking around the precinct with a slightly calculating expression, eyeing the officers before she tilted her head to the side a bit.

Xylia sighed and rubbed her face.

“Alright. Alright! How much for the kids and the cat?” she asked.

“A kid,” the captain said immediately.

Xylia rolled her eyes.

“Fine. You can keep Kylee.”

“WH-”

“Her?! No, definitely not,” the captain said immediately, shaking his head.

“Hey-”

“Which one?” Xylia asked, eyes narrowed.

“Pandora.”

Xylia felt Pandora reach out and grab her hand.

“Pandora?! No way!”

“You were going to give him me but not Pandora?!” Kylee cried.

“He would have returned you. There’s no way he’d return Pandora.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Myers said quickly.

“What do you want her for?” Xylia asked hesitantly, glancing over at Pandora.

“We want her to join the academy.”

“No. She’s still in senior year,” Xylia said, pulling Pandora closer and wrapping an around her shoulders.

“Afterwards then,” he said.

Xylia glanced at Pandora for a moment before she leaned closer.

“All expenses paid, and you give us the kids and cat back for free.”

“Done!”

Xylia grinned and pushed herself to her feet, pulling Pandora up behind her.

“Great! Congrats, Panny, you were accepted!”

Pandora smirked and let her head hang a little lower, snickering.

“Wh-did…,” Kylee’s head whipped around to look at the captain, “did you just pay her to do her dream job?! She… she doesn’t even have any training yet!”

“Not all of us have to be deadbeat bartenders, now come along,” Xylia said, patting Pandora on the head before she started to drag Vander and Kylee out of the room.

“I’m not a deadbeat!” Kylee cried.

“You’re kind of a deadbeat,” Pandora said, hesitantly patting her sister on the head.

Kylee gaped at her in shock, and Vander burst out laughing.

-

“Sorry, we’re back,” Xylia said.

“Is that a cat?!” Torey cried.

“His name is Diamond,” Kylee replied, trying to pet him.

He hissed at her and leapt away, landing on Pandora, who cried out in shock, just a moment away from throwing the cat off of her.

After a moment, she calmed and let the cat curl up in her arms, holding it softly.

“We just got Yvenne, why do we need a cat?!” Quon cried.

Yvenne let out a squawk and glanced over at him.

“What’d ya just say about me?!”

The conversation was about to continue, but Vander spun, grinning at Yvenne like a fool.

“Country Bitch!” she cried.

Yvenne flushed and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, well… you’re a City Slicker.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Yvenne.

“That’s… that’s a real thing that people say?” Vander asked.

“Have y’all never heard it?” Yvenne questioned, glancing around.

Vander grinned before she burst out laughing, shaking her head.

“Y’all!” Vander cried. “She said it!”

Kylee was laughing quietly, but she was suddenly distracted as she glanced at her watch.

“Shit, I gotta go, Payton’s waiting for me.”

“Oh, so you know this one’s name?” Quon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kylee flipped him off before she hurried out of the apartment.

-

A few hours later, Kylee stumbled back into the apartment, not looking where she was going in the slightest.

Yvenne looked up when she heard the door slam open, Kylee kicking it closed a moment later with her foot before she started to walk toward her bedroom with muscle memory.

Yvenne’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at the other girl.

Kylee was lip locked with another girl, a  _ girl, _ with her hands roaming  **quite** freely up and down her form.

“Hey!” Xylia snapped, grimacing as she looked at the pair. “I don’t want to hear a sound!”

Kylee waved her off before kicking her bedroom door shut behind her.

Yvenne was still staring at where they’d gone, her face a bright shade of red.

“What, never seen a hoe in action before?” Quon asked.

Kylee kicked the wall.

“HEY!” she shouted.

“NOT A SOUND!” Xylia screamed back.

“Wh… Payton… she was a girl?!” Yvenne hissed.

Everyone whipped their heads around, looking at Yvenne with narrowed eyes.

“Is that a problem?” Xylia asked darkly.

“Wha… that’s…,” Yvenne looked at them all, her eyes wide. “That’s allowed?!”

“Sweetie, Kylee’s a lesbian,” Vander said, rolling her eyes. “Of course it’s allowed.”

“A… a what?” Yvenne asked, frowning.

“She’s a lesbian. You know, she’s gay,” Quon replied, shrugging.

“What?”

“It means she does  _ that _ with girls,” Xylia said, gesturing over her shoulder at Kylee’s closed bedroom door.

Yvenne flushed a bright red color.

“She… kisses girls?”

“Way too many of them,” Waseem muttered.

“So you’ve never heard of a lesbian before? In your life?” Xylia asked, looking Yvenne up and down.

Yvenne was short, very much so in fact, with mismatched eyes, one of which was tyrian purple, and the other was a bluish green. She was wearing a red flannel shirt with sun faded blue jeans, which hung down over her black work boots. Her wavy brown hair hung a bit in front of her face, but it was cut short enough to not get in the way most of the time.

“Then why do you wear flannel?” Vander asked.

“W-what’s wrong with flannel?” Yvenne replied, messing with her shirt a bit self-consciously.

“You’re so country,” Vander said, rolling her eyes.

“No I’m not!” Yvenne denied.

“Then you’re a lesbian,” Vander replied.

Yvenne took a moment to remember what that was before her face flushed red.

“No I’m not!”

“You’re at least one of the two, if not both,” Vander said, smirking.

“Maybe she’s bi,” Quon offered.

“Or pan,” Pandora said, leaning a bit onto the back of the couch and glancing at Yvenne.

Yvenne didn’t know what pan was, but the way Pandora said it made her smile a bit.

“What’s that?” she asked, staring back at Pandora.

“It means you can like  _ anyone, _ doesn’t matter what gender,” Pandora replied, shrugging.

“And bi means you like guys  _ and _ girls,” Quon said.

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Yvenne asked slowly, frowning.

“No,” everyone said, shaking their heads.

Xylia leaned forward and started to explain everything to her, but by the end Yvenne was so distracted and overwhelmed that she didn’t think she understood a word of it.

-

Yvenne woke up early in the morning, walking out of the room she shared with Vander, her face a bit red. She hadn’t shared a room with anyone before, and it had been rather awkward for reasons she couldn’t explain. She was headed toward the kitchen, hoping to get some food, when she ran into Kylee.

She looked up at her with a slightly shy expression, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“So, how’s Payton?” she asked awkwardly. She wanted to show that she was supportive, but she was still… a bit unsure about this stuff.

“Who?” Kylee asked, frowning a bit.

“Wh-” Yvenne hesitated. “Your girlfriend?”

“I… wouldn’t say she’s my girlfriend. And… I guess she’s alright? She left a few hours ago,” Kylee said, shrugging.

“You wouldn’t? What… what would you call her then?” Yvenne asked.

“A…, uh…,” Kylee looked around for help.

“She was a one night stand, Yvenne,” Quon called, already eating his breakfast. “She has a lot of those, actually. You’ll get used to them.”

Yvenne took a moment to remember what that meant before she flushed.

“O-oh, sorry…”

“Eh, it’s alright, she’s a player,” Vander replied.

Vander was currently seated on the island counter, leaning back a bit as she sipped her coffee.

Yvenne flushed a bit and nodded.

Right…

She still wasn’t sure about all of this, but… at least Kylee seemed happy?

And to be honest, Yvenne wasn’t too sure about this whole family, but… she guessed she’d get used to them eventually.


	10. The Airship

Ilesha let out a content sigh.

It had been three days since she had seen her girlfriends, but early this morning, the two had gotten onto an airship with her. Both of them were curled up against her side at this point, and she thought they were going to fall asleep soon.

Crystal was curled up into a little ball, her head on her shoulder, and Lavey was slightly in her lap, though she wasn’t more than halfway across her body, considering Crystal had hissed at her when she’d tried to do that.

Ilesha felt a little uncomfortable with the two of them being angry with each other around her, and she was planning on trying to get the two of them to be closer during the trip.

Across from her, Romy was seated in Jin’s lap, and the two looked up, meeting each other’s eyes.

“I told you tiny girlfriends were cute,” Ilesha hissed.

Jin rolled her eyes and ran a hand through Romy’s hair, her other arm wrapped around Saffron’s shoulders.

“Yeah, but it was kind of hard to agree with you when you were referring to my sisters, which is just… gross, Sparky,” Jin said, shaking her head.

“Hey!” Ilesha hissed. “Your sisters aren’t gross, Jinny! They’re so cute.”

Jin grimaced a bit and glanced at Saffron, who shrugged.

“I don’t know, I get the whole short girlfriend thing now, she’s kind of got a point,” Saffron said.

Jin looked like her girlfriend had just betrayed her, but Romy gave her a fond smile, setting her head on Saffron’s shoulder gently.

“Thank you, I do.”

Lavey twitched a bit in her sleep, and Ilesha kissed the top of her head, causing her to calm and lean closer to her.

In the back of the airship, Raelynn and Braelyn were both seated on opposite sides of Aella, talking to her quietly with smirks.

Braelyn casually wrapped an arm around Aella, letting her hand rest on Raelynn’s arm. Raelynn was about to copy her motion, but Aella grinned.

She leaned closer to Braelyn, putting her head on the other girl’s shoulder and letting out a little yawn.

“Aw, hey, Brae,” she said tiredly. “I missed you.”

Braelyn hesitated, glancing at her girlfriend with wide eyes.

“I… missed you too, Ally,” Braelyn said slowly.

Aella smiled a bit wider and curled up closer.

Raelynn’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the two, and Braelyn smirked back at her girlfriend.

“You alright, Ally?” Raelynn asked.

“Just a bit tired… being the leader of the RPS was tiring… and now they want to kick me out, and… I don’t know,” Aella shrugged, her eyes fluttering shut.

“They want to  _ what _ ?!” Raelynn hissed.

“I dunno, something about not needing me anymore,” Aella frowned a bit, her eyes opening as she looked up at Braelyn. “I thought I did good as the leader of the RPS, but it turns out I messed up somehow…”

“Shh, how about you get some sleep?” Braelyn asked, wrapping both of her arms around Aella and starting to pull her closer.

“That sounds nice…,” Aella said quietly.

“Yeah, you get some sleep… and I’m going to talk to someone,” Raelynn said, shaking her head as she stood up.

“Mhm,” Aella yawned and pulled her cloak around her and Braelyn, being sure to cover up Braelyn as well.

Braelyn blushed a bit as Aella grabbed her shirt and snuggled against her chest.

Raelynn rolled her eyes as she walked through the airship, ignoring Barrie as he held his stomach, clearly nauseous.

“What did you do to Aella?” Raelynn demanded, glaring down at Romelle and Adolpha, who were snuggled up together beside Clover and Auburn.

Clover was currently running a hand up and down his boyfriend’s back comfortingly while Auburn groaned and ran a hand over his stomach with a grimace.

“What do you mean?” Romelle asked, frowning.

“I mean, what did you do to Aella? Why’d you kick her out of the RPS? She did  _ everything _ for you guys, and  **that’s** the thanks you give h-”

Romy stirred in Jin’s lap, waking up as both of her girlfriends slept.

“We didn’t kick her out of the RPS. There  _ is _ no RPS, but we’re working for a new cause!”

“One that you couldn’t let her in on?” Raelynn asked, glaring as her dhole ear twitched.

“No, of course we couldn’t,” Romy said, crossing her arms.

“Why not?” she demanded.

“Because it’s a secret, Raelynn!” she hissed.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll just tell Aella,” Romy insisted.

“Right now, she thinks she messed up so badly that you kicked her out of the RPS, so what’s going on?”

Romy grimaced.

“Well… we’re the ADG now! And we can’t let her know what we’re planning, because it’s for her.”

“What are you planning?” Raelynn demanded.

“It’s… we’re the Aella Deserves Girlfriends squad, okay? She was so helpful for me that we’re trying to get her girlfriends. She deserves girlfriends.”

Raelynn took a moment to think before she smirked, leaning a bit closer.

“Well, I hope you’ll keep an open mind for that position.”

Romy stared at her, and Raelynn pulled back a bit, but her smile didn’t falter.

“After all, I agree wholeheartedly with your mission statement.”

Romy took a moment, trying to think.

“Would… you like to join the ADG?”

“I think that would be a bit troublesome, all things considered.”

“But I thought you wanted to help Aella get girlfriends,” Romy said.

“Oh, I do. I  _ definitely _ do,” Raelynn replied, turning and walking back to her girlfriend and Aella, sitting down and wrapping an arm around the two before leaning against Aella, a small smile on her face.

Romy watched her go with confusion before her eyes widened.

She tried to fall back asleep, but she was too busy trying to figure out if she had understood exactly what Raelynn had said back there… and what to do about it if she had.

-

Kesey’s eyes narrowed as she watched Raelynn and Braelyn curl around Aella, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Right now, she had to focus her efforts on something else.

Abdera was seated between her and Zohra, and the two of them were glaring at each other behind her back while Abdera leaned forward, trying to see out of the window. She had a wide grin on her face, and she couldn’t stay still.

“Aren’t you guys excited? Oh, this trip is going to be  _ just _ what we need! I hope Romy’s alright, but she seems pretty happy over there with her girlfriends…,” Abdera stared at Romy for a moment before she glanced around, smiling sheepishly. “Did you two hear what the parents were saying?”

“What?” Zohra asked, giving her a small smile and leaning a bit closer.

“Apparently we’re going to have to share rooms during the trip,” Abdera said awkwardly.

“That wouldn’t be so bad,” Zohra said, leaning against Abdera with a small smile on her face.

“Wouldn’t be so bad, you say? Why, I’d say it’s preferable,” Kesey said, getting a little closer and starting to play with Abdera’s jacket idly.

Abdera laughed awkwardly, glancing between the two.

-

Rosemary and Akio were seated next to each other, trying to discretely hold hands.

They shared a small smile before Rosemary put her head on his shoulder.

They hated to admit that they were as lovey dovey as the other couples, but they couldn’t really deny it.


	11. The Race

Ilesha looked over at her girlfriends, giving them both a wide grin.

“How about you two hang out here? I’ll get us a room,” Ilesha said.

“You sure?” Crystal asked, yawning.

“Of course, Stally,” Ilesha replied, leaning down and giving Crystal a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Romy, Saffron, and Jin had been allowed to leave to pick their room first, and everyone else was waiting right by the exit to the airship for the go ahead.

“We got it!” Saffron yelled, leaning out of a window and waving.

Before she was done yelling, almost everyone had taken off at a sprint, racing for a room.

The rule was simple, and had been implemented since the dawn of time… or, well, as long as they could remember. The first room you set foot in was the room you spent the rest of the vacation in. There had been a lot of squabbling during the first family trip, but they had eventually settled on this system.

Crystal and Lavey were seated on the airship with only one other person, who they glared at.

Colby shifted a bit, and Crystal flipped him off.

He flinched and looked away while Lavey snickered.

Meanwhile, Saffron leaned out of the window, laughing a little bit as she watched everyone else sprinting to get a room. She had gotten one with both of her girlfriends, and she couldn’t have been happier. It was rather small, but there was a single queen sized bed for the three of them, and that was more than enough.

Adolpha was the first through the front door, which was a surprise to a few of them, but she had a secret weapon on her side. Or, well, on her back, to be perfectly clear.

Romelle was on Adolpha’s back, and her girlfriend was holding onto her legs as they raced through the Belladonna household.

Romelle was holding her buzzsaw pocket watch in both hands, not looking at Adolpha at all as she glared at the people behind her menacingly.

“Hold on!” Adolpha called.

Romelle transformed her weapon back into a pocket watch and put it in her pocket while she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Adolpha’s shoulders and holding on tight.

Adolpha let go of her legs, and Romelle held her around the waist as Adolpha reached down and planted her hand on a table.

Kali and Ghira looked up, Kali grabbing her cup of tea and putting it in her lap before Adolpha had the chance to hit it, and watched with wide eyes as their youngest granddaughter vaulted over the table.

“Hi, grandma, grandpa!” Adolpha called, hitting the ground running. “We’ll talk later!”

“Babe, focus!” Romelle hissed.

“Right!” Adolpha said, shaking her head.

Kali and Ghira glanced at each other.

“Babe?”

Before they could talk, more people came stampeding into the room.

Raelynn and Braelyn were after them. Braelyn ran around the table, but Raelynn decided that wasn’t showy enough, especially considering there were several pairs of eyes that were watching her at the moment. She did a quick flip over the table, smirking before she landed beside Braelyn, both of them running full speed.

“Show off,” Braelyn muttered.

“You know it,” Raelynn replied, giving her a wink.

“Ah, yes, but who are you showing off for?” Braelyn asked. “Your amazing, beautiful,” Braelyn shoved Auburn backwards into Clover, and the two stumbled, “wonderful girlfriend?”

“Certainly not,” Raelynn replied, skidding to a stop as she looked at a room. “This one!” she called.

Braelyn glanced over and smirked, rubbing her hands together.

“Oh, definitely.”

Before they two could continue, the rest of the group raced up the stairs.

Aella was currently flying down the hall, and she dropped to the ground, grinning.

“Here you go, Merrie,” Aella said, setting her sister down on the ground.

Meriah gave her a grin and raced into the closest room, Cooper at her heels.

He turned to give his cousin a grin, grabbing her wrist.

“Come on, Ellie,” he said, “I’m sure Meriah or I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with you!”

Aella grinned and was about to follow, but another form raced forward, grabbing Aella around the waist with both arms.

“So sorry to interrupt, but I’m afraid I simply  _ must _ do,” Raelynn said dramatically. “Now come along, Aella, we’ve got lots of fun to get to.”

Aella let out a sound of shock as Raelynn all but threw her into another room, the two of them almost tumbling to the ground.

Raelynn gave her a smirk, and Aella glanced to the side, as if expecting that she was looking at someone else.

She… she knew that Aella wasn’t Braelyn, right? She wasn’t blind like Jin, right? Aella didn’t think so, but she guessed that she and Raelynn didn’t get to hang out enough. Aella hoped that would change soon. Maybe having to be in the same room together for the break would help that, right? She hoped they would be able to see more of each other in the second year at Beacon.

Raelynn took a step to the side, trying to get out of the doorway, but she tripped over Aella’s cloak, causing her to stumble forward.

Aella caught her, giggling.

“Careful, Rae! Wouldn’t want you to go falling for someone when you already have Brae!” Aella said, giving her a playful wink.

“Oh, that would just be  _ horrible, _ wouldn’t it?” Raelynn asked, smirking as she looked up at Aella.

Aella hesitated.

“Uh, well, I suppose… depending on…,” Aella shook her head. “Hey! Don’t confuse the dumb girl, alright? It’s just rude.”

Raelynn giggled, rolling her eyes.

“I wouldn’t call you dumb. Perhaps ob-”

Before Raelynn could finish speaking, Braelyn let out a battlecry, launching herself forward. 

Braelyn had been outside the room, across the hall from it, actually, trying to act casually as everyone raced by.

When Abdera appeared in front of her, Braelyn threw herself forward, tackling the other girl into the bedroom and landing in front of Aella and Raelynn.

Aella saw Braelyn, and she almost dropped Raelynn immediately, but Raelynn reached up to casually loop her arms around the other girl’s neck, holding herself up with a small smirk.

Aella laughed awkwardly at the action, trying to give Braelyn a grin.

Braelyn raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything as she stood, helping Abdera to her feet.

“Thanks for giving me a room,” Abdera said sheepishly.

Kesey glanced over, clearly staring at Aella, taking a step forward, but Braelyn hopped up and slammed the door closed.

Kesey had been walking toward the room, but the door hit her in the face, causing her to stumble backwards upon impact, bumping into Zohra, the two falling backward and into another room across the hall.

They stared at one another in disbelief, glancing around the room.

There was one small twin bed, which seemed to be laughing at them tauntingly.

“Shit.”

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, Clover and Auburn were struggling to find a room. Akio and Rosemary were in a room together, and they glanced at their surroundings. There were two beds, and they smirked, starting to close the door. Just before they could, Clover threw himself forward, sticking his foot out to catch it before it could close.

Akio looked up, and Clover grinned.

“Hey, roomie!” he said, grabbing Auburn by the hand and dragging him into the room.

Akio groaned quietly, and Rosemary grinned at Clover, and her boyfriend crossed his arms in irritation.

He had been hoping they would have the room for themselves, and he was frustrated that not just his brother, but his brother’s boyfriend was going to be staying with him and Rosemary, but… he supposed he could make due.

Cassandra, at the same time, was finally in a room of her own, but she seemed rather frustrated that she wasn’t in another. She glanced over, giving her two roommates a small smile.

Arlen and Barrie waved back, but Barrie took a moment, glancing into the hallway.

Ilesha had shoved Bentley out of the way, claiming the room, grinning when she saw that it only had one bed.

Bentley grumbled and stalked down the hall, finding that there was one last bedroom that was open, but it was empty.

That meant… the final member of their little group was going to share with him.

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

Meanwhile, Ilesha bounced into the hall, grinning as she saw her two girlfriends coming. She didn’t notice the other person in the hallway, and she grabbed them each by the hand, dragging them into the room. They both hesitated and shared a look before they sighed sufferingly.

This… was going to be a long trip.


	12. First Day

Yvenne glanced around as she stepped off the airship. She wasn’t sure where exactly she was, just somewhere in Menagerie. An angry woman had thrown gang signs at her until she had gotten on the airship, and she assumed this was where she was supposed to be.

Yvenne stumbled off of the airship after being shoved by the woman, and she spared a glance at the short woman (and that was saying something coming from Yvenne) to glare at her.

The woman rolled her eyes with a smirk before gesturing at the building in front of her.

Yvenne wasn’t sure what sort of building it was, perhaps a hotel, or perhaps a mashion? She wasn’t clear, but she carried her small bag toward it.

She pushed the door open, and a large man stood in front of her.

Yvenne stumbled back after a moment, staring up at him. He was tall, taller than Xylia even, and he glared down at her.

“Who are you?”

“Y-Yvenne Hilyard,” she said meekly, running a hand through her hair.

“Oh, right. You’re the… one I heard about,” he said.

Yvenne was about to respond, though she didn’t know how, when another, smaller form appeared under the other man’s form.

“Oh! Hi, Yvenne! You can stay in our room!” the small man said, reaching forward to grab her hand and dragging her down the hall.

Yvenne stared at him in disbelief, stumbling a bit and almost falling.

He steadied her, grinning.

“Oh, I’m Cooper, by the way! You probably forgot what with the whole Romy dying and everything… but it’s good to see you again!”

“Y-yeah, good to… see you again… did you say sharing a room?” Yvenne asked.

Cooper opened a door and guided her in.

“Of course! You’re part of the family now! You weren’t born into the family, but you had a death to bring you into it!” Cooper said.

Yvenne stumbled as she was dragged into the room, a little shocked when she saw the first form that was smaller than her.

The little girl giggled and looked up at her, shaking her head.

Yvenne was immediately distracted by the little girl, her eyes widening as she took in the  _ adorable _ little ears on top of her head.

“Are you a Faunus?” Yvenne asked immediately.

“I’d say so, all things considered,” the girl replied, twitching one of her ears.

Cooper giggled and rolled his eyes.

“That’s Meriah, and she’s a German Shepard Faunus! Aren’t her little ears  _ so cute _ ?!” Cooper asked.

Yvenne nodded, and she was staring at Meriah in disbelief.

“Can… can I ask you a few questions?” Yvenne questioned tentatively.

“Sure!” Meriah said, leaning against the bed with a grin.

Cooper seemed a bit hesitant, but he shrugged, walking over and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

-

Cassandra smirked to herself, stretching a bit in the sun. It was a beautiful day outside, and she intended to soak up as much sun as possible.

Cassandra was short, very much so, even more so than her mother Rachel, and her orange-red hair hung a little bit above her shoulders. She didn’t look much like her twin sister, Braelyn, and even her eyes were a different color. Where her sister had bright blue eyes, she had darker hazel ones. Where Braelyn was pale, and the  _ rest  _ of the Vines were pale too, Cassandra was a darker skin tone, though it was entirely from sunbathing. She was also a Faunus, but she had a giant tail, which was perhaps a  _ bit _ disproportionate to her body, with long white fur. She was a Ragdoll Cat Faunus, which meant that her tail was  _ far _ too fluffy for her own good.

Cassandra had already changed into her swimsuit, and she laid down a blanket, putting on a pair of sunglasses to cover her eyes. She let out a sigh of content, loving the feeling of the sun on her skin.

“What’s wrong with her?” Natalie muttered. She had an umbrella over her head, and Rachel was holding onto her arm, trying to get some shade under the umbrella.

“Hon, did you put on sunscreen?” Rachel called.

“No!” Cassandra cried. “Sunscreen is for the weak and elderly.”

“Listen here you little son of a bi-”

Ivy covered Rachel’s mouth.

Rachel rolled her eyes sufferingly.

“You’re so damn weird,” Braelyn muttered, shaking her head at her sister. “Don’t you think, Rae?”

Raelynn jumped.

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”

Braelyn gave her a side eye, and Raelynn shook her head, putting on a smile.

Braelyn knew that it was fake immediately, but she decided not to comment on it. Raelynn would tell her eventually.

-

Auburn grinned as he bounced out of the Belladonna household.

“See you later, Babe!” he called, waving over his shoulder.

Clover shook his head fondly, watching as Auburn took off his shirt before diving into the ocean. He disappeared under the water, and Clover knew that he wouldn’t be able to see him for hours.

Clover smiled and shook his head, turning around and starting to head back to the house. Before he could, Rosemary bumped into him, and she looked up at him with a wide grin.

“Clover! Good to see you!” she said.

“Yeah! I feel like we haven’t seen each other enough lately!” Clover said, putting a hand on her waist to steady her.

“Yeah, Stitch,” Rosemary replied playfully, shoving her teammate on the shoulder.

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Waiter,” he said.

Akio glanced between the two, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked between the two.

You want to come with Kio and I? We were going to go get something to eat,” Rosemary said.

Clover grinned.

“I’d love to!” he said excitedly, wrapping his arm around Rosemary’s shoulders.

Akio’s eyes narrowed even further, but neither seemed to notice as they walked off, him trailing beside them.

-

Adolpha giggled as Romelle pulled her a bit closer, playing idly with her hair. The two had gotten a room of their own, which they were both very thankful for, and Romelle was already situated on her lap, slowly pushing Adolpha back to lay down on the bed.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a form appeared.

Adolpha and Romelle jumped in surprise.

Romelle was so shocked that she started to tumble off of the bed, but Adolpha reached out to catch her. In the process, she rolled too close to the edge, and the pair both fell toward the ground. Adolpha cried out in fear and shock, rotating in midair so that her back hit the floor instead of Romelle.

Romelle realized what she’d done and gave her a fond look, reaching one hand up to cradle her face.

“I love you,” Romelle breathed.

“I love you, too,” Adolpha replied.

“Excuse m-” Yang cut herself off with a strangled cry as Romelle leaned back down, connecting her and Adolpha’s lips gently.

Adolpha immediately forgot that her mother was in the room, kissing Romelle back with vigor.

“Hey!” Yang cried. “Hey, knock it off!”

Adolpha noticed her mother and tried to pull away, but Romelle didn’t seem to care, leaning closer and grabbing Adolpha by the collar of her jacket to pull her a bit nearer.

Yang stared in absolute shock as her daughter, once again, forgot that she was there. Adolpha wrapped her arms around Romelle’s neck and waist, pulling her down a bit more.

“ADOLPHA LIN BELLADONNA-SCHNEE!” Yang screamed.

Adolpha jumped, her ears wilting a bit, and Romelle reached up to cover her girlfriend’s wolf ears.

She gave Yang a scathing glare and Adolpha laughed awkwardly.

“Sorry… didn’t see you there?” Adolpha tried to lie, but it was unconvincing.

“I’m sure,” Yang said, rolling her eyes. She was still trying not to throw up, and she felt like she understood Auburn a little bit better now.

“What… what’s up?” Adolpha asked awkwardly.

“Your grandparents had a few questions for you after earlier,” Blake said, glancing over Yang’s shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw Romelle and Adolpha laying on the ground, their legs tangled together.

Adolpha grimaced. Right. She had ran past them full speed with her girlfriend on her back and said something about talking to them later… that, looking back a bit, seemed like a rather stupid idea…

She glanced up at Romelle before she giggled.

Not  _ quite _ a bad idea.

-

Saffron looked over at Romy, who was grumbling to herself as they walked downtown.

Jin and Saffron had thought it would be a romantic idea for them to walk downtown, but apparently Romy hadn’t gotten enough sleep, considering she was grumbling and bumping into the two of them as they walked.

Finally, Saffron leaned over and grabbed her girlfriend, scooping her into her arms.

Romy let out a sound of shock, glancing up at Saffron, who just gave her a grin and a wink.

“Better view up here anyways,” Saffron said with a shrug.

Romy rolled her eyes before she pulled closer, setting her head on Saffron’s chest and letting her eyes fall shut.

“Back to the house?” Jin asked.

“Read my mind,” Saffron replied, leaning against Jin as she wrapped her arm around the two of them.

Sure, the road here had been a bit… rocky, muddy, and covered in cliffs on all seven sides (don’t ask how), but at least they were here now.

And Saffron wouldn’t trade that for the world.


	13. The Call

Yvenne stretched out on her chair, lounging in the sun. Unlike  _ some _ people, she had decided to put on sunscreen, considering she didn’t want to get a third degree burn.

She pulled out her scroll, rolling her eyes as she saw she had  _ several _ new messages.

She went through a few of them before she finally decided to just call the idiots.

“What do you want?” she asked, turning on the camera.

“Some way to talk to your foster family,” Xylia replied, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s your foster mom over there!” Torey said, gesturing at Xylia emphatically.

“Exchange parent, and not foster!” Yvenne said, exasperated.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, is she there?” Vander asked, shoving Kylee out of the way.

“Hey!” Kylee grouched, stumbling back a bit.

Vander waved her off and looked at the background.

“No, she’s not here right now,” Yvenne grumbled, shaking her head, “and I don’t get what you see in her. She’s an idiot.”

“You take that back!” Vander hissed.

Kylee rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“Yeah, I don’t get what you see in  _ anyone, _ Vander. Just a few fun nights max, then you’ve got your fill. Just tell her you’re a groupie and I’m sure she’d  _ love _ to have you,” Kylee said.

Vander flushed a bright shade of red, shoving her adoptive sister to the side.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the  _ real _ wild cat of this family, we get it, now just shut the fuck up for once and let me have this,” Vander said, not really paying attention to Kylee.

“I can call her an idiot, because she is. She wouldn’t stop calling and asking medical questions for her girlfriend.”

“I didn’t hear about Jin getting hurt,” Vander said, frowning a bit.

“No, no, the other one,” Yvenne said, waving her hand.

“Wait… she has two girlfriends now?” Vander asked, deflating a bit.

“Yeah, the one that you saw pretty much dead in the infirmary that one time. Romy,” Yvenne said, shrugging.

“Oh, really?” Vander sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

“You didn’t have a chance with her anyways,” Kylee said. “Remember? Rockstar,” Kylee held up her hand toward the ceiling before dropping it toward the ground, “you. See the difference?”

Vander flushed and shoved her again, this time making sure that Kylee hit the ground.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a chance. She has some pretty low standards,” Yvenne said, shrugging and glancing over her shoulders.

Vander scoffed, shaking her head.

“Please! She’s got two girlfriends, she’s a badass,” Vander said.

“Yeah, sure,” Yvenne replied.

She heard footsteps behind her and she glanced over her shoulder, finding that Romy was standing there.

“Hey, Yvenne. Just wanted to come say hello, thank you for saving my life. You know, normal stuff,” Romy said, shrugging a bit awkwardly.

Yvenne turned away from her scroll, giving her a small smile.

“Oh, it’s nothing… how are you holding up?”

Romy smiled a bit, taking a seat on the chair next to her.

“Pretty great, actually. I mean, is it worth dying to date the girls of your dreams?” Yvenne shook her head, but Romy nodded enthusiastically. “I mean, it just took a little bit of blood and gore to get them to tell me that they loved me. I’d say it was a fair trade.”

“See?” Yvenne moved her scroll to show her friends. “They’re all insane.”

“That’s true, can confirm,” Romy replied, waving at the people on Yvenne’s scroll.

Vander seemed a little frustrated, but she gave her a small nod.

Kylee was snickering and Quon had joined in, but Waseem elbowed him.

Yvenne was about to say something, but she was interrupted by the familiar creak of the apartment door. That meant someone was back… Vander, Kylee, Xylia, Torey, Quon, and Waseem were already there, which meant that it had to be-

Another form appeared on the scroll, and Yvenne was shocked to see how widely Pandora was grinning at her.

“Yvenne! Guess what!” she cried in excitement.

Yvenne, logically, could figure out what had happened.

It had been almost a year since she had been all but sold off to the police academy, and she’d been working there for the past three and a half months.

Logically, considering what she was wearing, that meant that she had graduated.

Pandora was leaning down a bit, but it was easy to tell what she was wearing. She was in her new uniform, which was a lighter shade of blue. There was a little star on her chest, and it was clear that she had polished it several times in her excitement. Yvenne couldn’t help but smile at the mental image before she realized what she was doing and shook her head.

“Good job, Pan,” Yvenne said, though her voice was a bit low, and she couldn’t stop staring at Pandora.

“Thanks!” Pandora said, stretching a bit to run a hand through her hair. Her uniform raised a bit at the action, and Yvenne looked away, her gaze landing on Romy, who was still staring at the scroll.

“Bet you wish you were here,” Vander smirked, “Pandora’s been extra touchy lately.”

“By ‘extra touchy,’ she means that Pandora accidentally brushed hands with her and then didn’t cuff her to the table,” Torey said, her voice monotone.

“That’s extra touchy for Pan!” Vander defended.

Yvenne rolled her eyes, glancing over at Romy.

“Sorry for… them,” Yvenne gestured at the group, though she glanced back at them with a small, fond smile.

“Eh, I’m used to idiots,” Romy said with a wave of her hand.

There were heavy footsteps to the side, and the two looked up, finding that Saffron and Jin had come running over, letting out sighs of relief when they saw Romy.

“Romy!” Jin said excitedly.

“What happened?” Saffron asked, skidding to a stop next to Romy.

“I took a walk. Am I not allowed to do that?” Romy asked.

“No!” Jin cried. Romy and Yvenne stared at her. “I mean… well, you can, but… we’re supposed to be taking care of you! Making sure you don’t get hurt, remember?! And you just snuck off!”

Saffron was nodding avidly, and she leaned down, wrapping her arms securely around Romy.

Yvenne, not paying attention, didn’t notice that she had angled the scroll so that her friends could see Saffron and Jin.

Vander was watching the screen intently, and Pandora rolled her eyes, shoving her adopted sister ever so slightly. Vander was so shocked that she nearly fell over, taking her eyes off of the scroll completely.

“Yvenne, you’re a nurse, right? Tell her she should be resting,” Saffron said pleadingly.

Yvenne stared at her for a moment before she looked away.

“I told you once, I’ll tell you again, she’s fine! Don’t put me in the middle of this, Saffron!” she hissed.

Saffron groaned, shaking her head and pulling Romy closer to her chest.

“Romy, we’re not going to let you get hurt, so stop trying to sneak away, alright?” Saffron pressed her forehead against Romy’s, and she found that she couldn’t disagree, so she just nodded mutely.

Yvenne watched for a moment as Saffron and Jin took their girlfriend away, but not before thanking her profusely for making sure that Romy was alright.

Vander sighed dreamily as she watched Saffron go, shaking her head ruefully.

Kylee just snickered, and Yvenne rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Romy let herself relax in Saffron and Jin’s arms. Sure, they might be overdoing it a bit, but she supposed that, for now, she could appreciate some of the attention.


	14. First Night

“I would give you fifty bucks to just leave right now,” Akio muttered, staring at his brother with narrowed eyes.

“What? Why?” he asked.

Akio stared at him for another moment and Auburn’s eyes widened.

“Oh. Oh! Right… well, we can’t… I mean, you see them over there,” he said, gesturing at Rosemary and Clover.

Rosemary was seated on one of the beds, legs crossed in front of her, as she looked at Clover. He was laying on his stomach in front of her, his legs lifted into the air and occasionally swung back and forth. One of his arms was held aloft in front of Rosemary as she did his nails. Auburn found this whole thing adorable, along with the sea green color that he was getting his nails painted. Akio was rather frustrated, and he tapped his foot as he watched the pair.

“Besides, they’re adorable together, right?” Auburn said, giving his older brother a small smile.

“And then that  _ bitch _ -”

“Wait, which one? Becky or Tammy?” Clover asked.

“No, no, Jessica, are you even listening?” Rosemary teased.

“Well it can be hard when you just refer to everyone as bitch, Rosey,” he replied, rolling his eyes.

“Well they are!” Rosemary cried, throwing her free hand into the air with a frustrated huff.

“I guess,” Akio muttered, though he crossed his arms against his chest.

“Besides, straight guys don’t like hearing about their girlfriend’s gossip, right? That’s what gay guy best friends or straight or bi girl friends are for,” Auburn said, shrugging.

“Right, yeah,” Akio looked away from the pair.

“Liar!” Rosemary called.

Auburn and Akio jumped, their eyes going wide.

“I can hear, you know. Unlike Auburn, I don’t have ears filled with sea water, and unlike you, Kio, I know when you whisper.”

Akio scowled at Rosemary for a moment, but she was already back to Clover.

“Don’t let him fool you, Clovey, he  _ loves _ gossip. It’s embarrassing, really,” Rosemary said, leaning closer.

Akio huffed as his face flushed a light shade of pink.

Clover and Auburn snickered.

“You know, you don’t have to skulk over there, you two!” Rosemary called. “If you want to hear, then come on.”

Auburn took off immediately, falling onto the bed next to Clover and setting his head on his back with a wide grin.

Akio hesitated, and Rosemary raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.

“Do you want to hear what happened or not, Kio, cause I’m not repeating myself later.”

Akio sighed before he walked across the room and sat down beside Rosemary, watching her as she continued telling her story, already enraptured with the gossip.

-

“So, that’s my whole thing. Pretty  _ great, _ right?” Cassandra asked sarcastically, lounging on her bed underneath a lamp.

Barrie and Arlen, who had listened to the entire thing with intrigued looks on their faces, both stared at her with evident disbelief.

“So she’s going to take  _ all _ of that?” Arlen cried.

“Yeah!” Cassandra waved her hand in frustration. “Always gets  _ everything _ she wants. Can’t leave anything for poor little Cass, can she?”

-

“So what do you think of Saffron?” Meriah asked. She was laying on one of the beds, looking at Yvenne.

Yvenne frowned at the question, glancing at Cooper. It seemed like an odd question to ask during their little dorm room game of twenty questions, but Yvenne shrugged.

“She’s… she’s nice enough, I suppose. She’s… a tad bit dull,” Meriah scowled, “but sweet? I don’t know, she’s been gentle with Romy, which is good. She seems like a good enough girlfriend… even if I don’t get that whole… situation still.”

Yvenne flushed a bit at the last sentence, and Meriah stared at her.

“You hear that, Coop? She doesn’t understand how I was born. I think someone needs to learn about the birds and the Dust.”

Cooper covered his mouth with one hand to hide a snicker while Yvenne blushed.

“Wait… Dust? Are… what’s she talking about?” she asked Cooper.

“Is that your question for this round?” Meriah called, cutting off Cooper before he could answer.

Yvenne glared a bit.

“No, it’s not.”

It seemed like Meriah was trying to trick her into using her questions on dumb stuff, and she’d already done it twice.

Meriah smirked.

“Then go ahead with your turn.”

Yvenne considered for a moment before she glanced over at Cooper.

“Cooper, who’s your biological mother?” she asked.

Cooper frowned in confusion.

“Uh… both of them. Winter and Penny. Okay! My turn! How do you feel about Aella?”

Yvenne had stalled.

“Wait… they’re… they’re  _ both _ your parents?! How does that work?!”

“It’s not your turn,” Meriah said, smirking before she sent a glare at her cousin.

-

Romelle was already asleep, curled up in Adolpha’s arms. It was early, but Adolpha didn’t mind as she stared down lovingly at her girlfriend.

A lot of people seemed to think that Romelle was trouble, a little gremlin even, but as Adolpha brushed a bit of her hair out of her face and pulled her closer to her chest, she couldn’t help but scoff internally.

Romelle was the cutest thing she’d ever seen…

Even if she occasionally dabbled in arson.

-

Jin and Saffron were both curled up around Romy, who was already fast asleep. Apparently she hadn’t gotten enough sleep on the airship this morning, and the two of them were more than willing to let her sleep right there in between them.

Saffron’s head was set on Jin’s chest, and she let out a small sigh of content as she looped her arms around her girlfriends.

She was proud to be able to say that her gloves were discarded on the nightstand beside her, and the freedom was a wonderful feeling.

But not as wonderful as lying here beside them.

-

Ilesha grinned as she laid down on the bed, opening up her arms.

Lavey and Crystal shared a look before they glanced at the bed.

As in the  _ singular _ bed in the room, which Ilesha seemed to expect them to share.

They’d only done that with her once, at the end of the year, and neither were sure that they were ready to do that again, let alone for the rest of the trip.

Finally, they groaned and stalked over, Lavey sitting down first and curling up next to Ilesha in an almost possessive manner.

Crystal scowled and was about to make sure that Lavey didn’t take up the majority of the bed (and the girlfriend), but Lavey gestured up.

“Don’t forget the lights, Cy,” she said smugly.

Ilesha grinned.

“Would you mind, Stally?” she asked kindly.

Crystal groaned internally, but she knew that she couldn’t say no to Ilesha.

She returned a moment later, trying to wrap an arm around Ilesha, but it seemed like Lavey had already staked her claim and wrapped herself around Ilesha.

“I’ll kill you,” Crystal hissed quietly enough that Ilesha couldn’t hear.

“Like you could,” Lavey whispered.

“Aw, isn’t this sweet?” Ilesha asked, pulling them both closer. “I missed you two.”

They glanced up at her, and Lavey sighed, moving just a bit so that Crystal could put her arm around Ilesha.

Maybe, just  _ maybe, _ she could let Crystal lay there.

If she wasn’t too obnoxious about it, that is, which was a big if.

-

“Do we have to share a bed  _ again _ ?” Raelynn said, sounding over dramatically.

“Yeah, you’re always so clingy. Why are you always so  _ cold _ ?” Braelyn replied, speaking far too loud.

“You’re like a furnace!” Raelynn said louder.

“Are you two not okay with sleeping in the same bed?” Aella asked worriedly.

“We just do it all the time, and in a small bed,” Braelyn said, trailing off and trying to cover her smirk.

“Maybe we could switch beds and share with them instead,” Raelynn suggested.

“That’s a great idea,” Braelyn said too quickly. “Aella, you mind sharing with me?”

Aella glanced at Raelynn for a moment, looking unsure.

“Uh… yeah, I could. Wouldn’t want Raelynn getting jealous or anything,” she laughed nervously.

“Of Braelyn, maybe,” Raelynn said playfully, walking past Aella and running her hand down her arm.

Aella glanced between the two before laughing and rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.

“I… I guess it’s alright for you to share with me, Brae. And don’t worry, there’s no way you’ll get hot sharing a bed with me!”

Braelyn glanced at Raelynn and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Then I guess that means you and me, Dera,” Raelynn said, patting her on the arm.

Abdera gave her a small smile before nodding.

“Yeah. Guess so, huh?”

About half an hour later, things were no longer going according to plan for Raelynn and Braelyn.

Braelyn was shivering uncontrollably where she lay, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in a futile attempt to stay warm. Aella had thrown the blanket off of them the moment she had fallen asleep, and she was currently curled up in her cloak like it was a blanket.

Braelyn wondered if she ever took that thing off, and if it could even be considered comfortable with everything that was in it.

Braelyn slowly slipped off of the bed and grabbed the blanket, trying to put it around her and Aella, but Aella immediately kicked it off, letting out a grumble and turning over.

Braelyn laid back down, trying to be still and not wake up Aella.

It didn’t work, and Aella blinked tiredly.

“Brae, are you alright?” she asked quietly, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“Yeah,” Braelyn lied, though it was clear that her teeth were chattering.

“Are you cold?” Aella asked, leaning closer.

Braelyn hesitated as Aella invaded her personal space.

“A little…”

“Then why didn’t you say anything? I can fix that!”

Aella reached out and wrapped her arms around Braelyn before rolling to the side.

Braelyn let out a quiet sound of shock as Aella rolled onto her back, pulling Braelyn on top of her so that she could set her head on her chest. Aella’s cloak settled around the two of them, and Braelyn supposed that she could see how it could be  _ somewhat _ comforting to sleep in.

Or perhaps her opinion was affected by Aella’s close proximity.

“That any better?” Aella asked gently.

Braelyn was about to respond, but suddenly, Aella’s gliders popped out of her side and encased her in a little cocoon.

Braelyn flushed a dark shade of red, and she hoped that Aella wouldn’t be able to tell.

“Yup!” was her voice higher than normal? “I’m fine!”

Aella smiled and pulled her closer, already closing her eyes.

“Good. Now get some sleep, Brae!”

Braelyn stared at her in disbelief as she fell asleep.

How dare she fall asleep after making it impossible for Braelyn to do so?!

Meanwhile, across the room, Raelynn was about to fall asleep. She gave her girlfriend one small smile, trying not to chuckle at her predicament (which earned her a dark glare from Braelyn).

Just as Raelynn was about to fall asleep, arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

She let out a little cry of shock, but that didn’t seem to disrupt the sleeping Abdera, and she just snuggled closer, putting her face in Raelynn’s hair and letting out a content sigh. She was clearly used to holding something while she slept, and a content sigh.

Braelyn was snickering now, and Raelynn flipped her off, though her anger was less intimidating when she was blushing a bright shade of red and smiling at Abdera with a fond expression.


	15. The Fight

Zohra groaned as she stalked over to get breakfast. She grabbed a cup of coffee and downed the entire thing before she sat down next to her mother, Stacey, and cradled her head in her hands.

Meanwhile, Kesey flopped down next to her fathers, grumbling as she started to shove food in her mouth.

“You alright?” Fox asked, raising an eyebrow and staring straight ahead.

“No, some bitch kept me up all night,” Kesey muttered.

“You kept yourself up all night then, I suppose?” Zohra asked, sipping her coffee again.

Kesey slowly turned her head around to look at Zohra, her eyes narrowing.

“I hate you,” Kesey muttered.

“Trust me, your feelings are mutual,” Zohra replied, glaring just a little bit.

Kesey growled and thought about standing up then to attack her roommate.

Yatsu causally put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder to stop her. Kesey hesitated for just a moment before she relaxed a bit.

“I’m sure your Aura is doing  _ great, _ Zoh, what with all of the danger you just put yourself in there,” Kesey hissed.

“I don’t think there was much risk. Not even noticeable,” Zohra replied, smirking as she took another drink.

“Why you little wh-”

Before Kesey could finish, Fox reached out to cover her mouth with one hand.

She grumbled and sulked a bit, shaking her head as she sunk in her seat sullenly.

“What happened?” Stacey asked, seemingly unbothered by her daughter insulting her childhood friend repeatedly.

Zohra grumbled and rubbed her face with one hand.

_ / _

_ Zohra pulled the blanket closer to herself, grumbling. Kesey let out a squawk of outrage at the action and tugged the blanket harshly, causing Zohra to cry out in shock. _

_ “Hey!” Zohra hissed at the other girl, yanking it back. _

_ Kesey seemed shocked at the action and latched onto the blanket with both of her hands, using her Semblance to attach herself to it. _

_ Zohra tried to take it back, but it didn’t work out, and she growled. _

_ “Fine. You want it?” Zohra raised one of her legs and smirked. “Then  _ **_fetch_ ** _!” _

_ Zohra kicked Kesey off of the bed with all of her strength, and Kesey let out a curse as she flopped off the bed with the blanket, hitting the ground with a  _ **_thump_ ** _. _

_ Zohra let out a self-satisfied chuckle and curled up in a little ball, already trying to get back to sleep. _

_ Kesey tried to get back on the bed, but every time that she attempted, she was either blocked by a kick from Zohra, or the other girl tried to steal the blanket from her. _

_ Suffice it to say, neither of them had had a good night of sleep as they danced around their issue. _

_ / _

“So… you kicked her out of the bed?”

Zohra nodded.

“And she kept the blanket?”

Another nod.

“And you could have just talked and shared the bed and the blanket, but-”

“But we don’t negotiate with terrorist whores, mother,” Zohra said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Stacey took a moment to think before she nodded slowly. Lexey choked on her drink, coughing loudly as her face turned a bright shade of red. Syntheia moved closer and patted her wife on the back, but she was still looking at Zohra with a bit of shock. Terresa had covered Alea’s ears, as if she was afraid of their daughter corrupting her wife in some way. Alea just looked confused, but she leaned back against Terresa with a flirtatious smirk. Terresa snickered and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her wife’s lips and running a hand through her hair lovingly.

Zohra and Kesey glared at each other the entirety of breakfast.

-

Braelyn and Raelynn grumbled as the two stalked outside, leaning against each other as they looked around the beach.

“How’d you sleep?” Raelynn asked.

“Horrible,” Braelyn said, but there was a fond smile on her face. “You?”

“Mhm,” Raelynn said, mirroring the look on her girlfriend’s face.

“We’re taking a nap, right?” Braelyn asked,

“Mhm.”

The two set up a little umbrella above them before curling up next to each other and promptly falling asleep where they lay.

Aella walked by and hesitated, staring at the two for a moment before she tilted her head to the side.

Did Braelyn and Raelynn not get enough sleep last night?

Braelyn pulled Raelynn closer and shivered a bit.

Aella gave the two of them a small smile before she slipped off her cloak, setting it down on the two of them.

-

“Alright!” Romy looked excitedly as she stretched a bit, though she winced as her arms raised above her head. “Ready to go swimming, Romelle?”

Romelle hesitated for a moment, looking worried.

“I… I don’t know, R-”

“Just let me go get my swimsuit, alright?” Romy said, patting her sister on the shoulder before she started to hurry back to the house.

Yvenne slid in front of her, blocking her escape.

“No way!” Yvenne hissed. “I had  _ both _ of your girlfriends breathing down my neck last time you got hurt, there’s no way I’m going to let you go swimming before you’re cleared.”

“You’re not cleared?!” Romelle shrieked.

“Uh…”

“You didn’t tell her?!” Yvenne snapped.

“It… might have slipped my mind?”

Yvenne’s eye twitched.

“Did you tell them you were  _ cleared, _ Romy?!” she snapped.

“Maybe?”

“I can’t believe you! After everything I went through to  _ defend you _ from them and their overbearing nature, you just… you just threw it away?!” Yvenne hissed.

Romy cringed.

“That’s it!” Yvenne threw her arms up in the air. “You’re children! All of you! And, like a child, I’m going to have to watch to make sure you don’t hurt yourself!”

Romy laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“You  _ really _ don’t have to do that,” Romy said.

“Clearly I do!”

Romy was about to reply, but Romelle interrupted.

She slid in between the two of them, grinning at Romy.

“While this creeper watches you like a pedo-”

“I’m younger than you!”

“While this creeper watches you like a pedo, how about you and I go have some  _ fun _ !”

Romy considered for a moment before she let herself smirk.

“What did you have in mind?”

-

Braelyn woke up slowly, curling up closer to her girlfriend. She was surprised to find that there was a blanket on top of them, but she soon realized that it was… Aella’s cloak.

She flushed a light shade of red, but was quickly distracted from it as she looked around.

Were…

“Uh… babe?” she asked, shaking Raelynn awake.

“What?” Raelynn grumbled.

“Did… did the beach eat us?”

“What?!”

Raelynn opened her eyes and looked around, finding that the two of them were completely encased in walls of sand that towered around them, cutting out any daylight.

“Oh… oh maybe they buried us?!” Braelyn hissed.

Outside, Romelle and Romy were snickering while Yvenne stared at them with a mixture of disgust, surprise, and a bit of intrigue… after all, it  _ had _ been impressive...


	16. Chaos

“Uh… Ms. Rose?” Yvenne asked slowly.

Ruby jumped, spinning.

“Did… did you just call me Ms. Rose?”

Yvenne nodded, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“Is… that not your name? Ruby Rose, right?”

“Well, you got the first half right, at least,” Ruby gave her a small smile. “It’s Mrs. Belladonna-Schnee, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Yvenne said awkwardly, wishing she was anywhere but here.

“It’s alright… just surprised you could get it wrong, since… like, half of the kids here are related to me in some way…”

“Y-wait… what?”

Ruby giggled, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know who my children are here,” Ruby said, shaking her head.

“Ma’am, I don’t know who  _ anyone _ here is related to,” Yvenne said, shrugging. “‘Cept the twins, I suppose.”

“Which ones?”

Yvenne hesitated for a moment.

“Wait… there’s… there’s more than one set of twins?”

Ruby laughed and shook her head again.

“Yvenne, there’s  _ four _ sets of twins in this group.”

“There are?!”

“Romy and Romelle,” Ruby started to count on her fingers, “Zohra and Arlen, Abdera and Barrie, and Cassandra and Braelyn.”

Yvenne didn’t want to admit that she only knew a few of those names, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Are… are any of those yours?” Yvenne asked hesitantly, causing Ruby to laugh loudly.

“Twins? Oh, no, we  _ never _ got that lucky, dear,” Ruby shook her head, but there was a fond look on her face. “No, no, we had quadruplets and triplets on the same day, then, for some reason, another ten years later.”

Yvenne stared at Ruby in disbelief, her eyes widening in shock.

“Why did you ask?” Ruby asked, frowning a bit before she smirked. “Have your eyes on some pretty girl here? Want to know how it works?”

Yvenne’s face turned a bright shade of pink.

“W-no! I-I have a boyfriend!” Yvenne said quickly, shaking her head.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t comment on it, and Yvenne played with her flannel sleeves.

“I was just wondering, because Cooper said that both of his mothers were biologically related to him, and I was wondering how that worked.”

“And you came to me because?” Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Are… are you not his mother?”

Ruby snorted before she covered her mouth.

“No, I’m his  _ aunt. _ I’m married to one of his mother’s sisters. But I can tell you, I have four biological kids of my own. Let me tell you about the birth of my youngest.”

Ruby found herself smirking as she gestured for Yvenne to take a seat.

A head poked into the room, and Lavey grinned.

“Did you just say what I thought you said?!” Lavey cried.

Ruby smirked and nodded, causing Lavey to laugh in excitement.

“Give me two minutes!” Lavey cried. With that, she sprinted out of the room and raced down the halls, calling for her siblings.

“That’s my daughter, by the way,” Ruby said. “Adolpha, Jin, Akio, and Aella were the quadruplets, those are related to Yang, my sister-”

“Yang’s your sister?!”

“And married to the same women as me, yes. Keep up, Ms. Hilyard,” Ruby gave her a playful smile before she continued. “And then Crystal, Lavey, and Auburn are the triplets, I gave birth to those three. And you’re about to hear the amazing,  _ fantastical  _ story of how I screamed my way into the birth of my youngest daughter.”

Yvenne was about to respond, but she was cut off as a large group sprinted in.

All of the Belladonna-Schnees were crowded into the room now, along with their significant others. Winter had also decided to join, and Penny had tagged along, if only to see her wife laugh at the story. She did every time Ruby told the story, and Penny loved to see her smile.

Winter gave Penny a fond look and put one hand on Penny’s waist. Penny moved back and leaned against Winter’s front, grabbing both of her arms and wrapping them around her. Winter smiled and pulled her closer, setting her chin on top of Penny’s head as she started to listen to the story.

“It was a normal day like any other,” Ruby started, smirking as she glanced around the room.

“Wait, are you telling this story again?!” Yang hissed.

Blake tried to slip out of the room.

“Weren’t there for the first one, least you could do is listen to the story,” Ruby said, watching Blake with narrowed eyes.

Blake wilted, her ears drooping as she slowly sat down.

“Wait, what?” Yvenne asked, frowning.

“Right! Introductions!” Ruby said. “That’s Blake, my wife, and that’s Weiss, my wife, and that’s Yang, my sister. Oh! And that’s Winter, Weiss’ sister, and that’s her wife, Penny. My sister-in-law!”

Penny grinned at the words and waved at Ruby enthusiastically.

Everyone got situated as Ruby started to tell the story. Adolpha had taken a seat on the couch, and Romelle hadn’t seen  _ any _ problem with plopping down right in her lap and leaning back against her front. Adolpha had laughed and put her head on Romelle’s shoulder, giving her a fond look. Yvenne stared at the two of them for a long moment. She had  _ known, _ on some level at least, that a lot of girls liked girls, but, well… even her roommates hadn’t actually been seen  _ dating _ girls (because Kylee did  **not** count). Yvenne thought it was surprising to see that they acted just like a lot of other couples she had seen… even if Romelle was a bit handsy.

Auburn was trying to push his boyfriend, Clover, out of the room, and Yvenne wasn’t entirely sure why, but Clover seemed intrigued, not letting Auburn push him out. It wasn’t very hard, considering Auburn was tiny compared to him, and Clover was far too muscular for his own good.

Ilesha had settled in between Crystal and Lavey, and the two didn’t seem to notice that the other was hogging their “Ilesha Space,” and they were both grinning broadly.

Rosemary was resting against Akio’s side, her back pressed against his side.

Jin had her arms wrapped around Romy and Saffron, pulling them both closer and setting her head on top of Saffron’s.

Aella had sat down on her own at the end of the couch, looking excited, but she suddenly let out a sound of shock as Raelynn fell on top of her, lounging in her lap. Aella seemed to not really realize what was going on, and she held up her hands as if to prove her innocence. Raelynn laughed at the action, rolling her eyes.

“What, is this seat occupied?” she asked.

“I-It wasn’t, but… I guess it is now?” Aella said, glancing over at Braelyn, who gave her a small smile. Meanwhile, Braelyn had leaned against Abdera and started to listen to the story.

_ / _

_ Ruby took a seat on the couch, groaning. She hadn’t been feeling great lately, though that was to be expected. She was supposed to give birth in two weeks, but her wives and sister had decided to be nice and go out to get groceries and a “surprise” for her, which Blake and Weiss had been very dodgy about, and she had thought it was cute that they were still trying to be romantic when she was about to give birth. _

_ Suddenly, as she was laying there, she let out a gasp, grabbing her stomach. _

_ “You alright, Mama?” Aella asked, tilting her head to the side a bit as she took a seat beside her. _

_ “I’m f-” Ruby cut herself off with a cry of pain. _

_ Aella’s eyes widened. _

_ “Uh… guys!” she cried. “I think Mom’s dying!” _

_ “What?!” Jin shouted, bursting into the room. _

_ “Dying?!” Lavey called, her head shooting out of the vents. _

_ “I don’t know!” Aella shouted. _

_ All six of her siblings raced into the room, eyes wide as they watched their mother go through another contraction and clutch her stomach. _

_ Lavey immediately stepped forward, taking charge. _

_ “She’s in labor. Auburn, go get Mama Ruby’s scroll off the table and call Mama Yang,” Lavey said. _

_ Auburn sprinted out of the room- _

_ / _

“Worst decision of my life,” Lavey muttered.

Auburn sunk in his seat and Clover glanced over at his boyfriend, raising an eyebrow.

“ **This** right here is why we made fun of him for years. You yelled at us for it, but you  _ never _ knew why. Now you will.”

_ / _

_ Auburn grabbed the scroll and started to run back into the room, but he tripped over his feet and hit the ground full force, trying to catch himself with his hands. _

_ He hit the ground with the scroll first, breaking it immediately. His eyes widened in shock, and he stared down in absolute terror. _

_ “Aub, hurry up!” Lavey cried. “Okay, let’s get her to the car. When they get back, they can drive us to the hospital.” _

_ “Uh… signal’s not working!” Auburn cried. _

_ “Then go outside!” Adolpha snapped. _

_ “Uh… we’re snowed in?” _

_ There was a moment of silence. _

_ “He broke the scroll,” Akio said from the living room, though he couldn’t see Auburn. _

_ “DID YOU BREAK THE SCROLL?!” Lavey and Adolpha shouted. _

_ Ruby’s eyes widened, and she fell back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling in horror. Oh no. _

_ This was it. _

_ She was going to give birth to their eighth child in the middle of their living room surrounded by seven ten-year-olds that didn’t know the first thing about giving birth, and she would likely scar them in the process. _

_ Great. Just great. _

_ Of course her wives and sister had left her alone. Of  _ **_course_ ** _ they had! All alone in the house with seven children while she was  _ **_pregnant_ ** _! _

_ And they’d left ten minutes ago, which meant they wouldn’t be back for… _

_ Far,  _ **_far_ ** _ too long. _

_ “I’m not going to make it to the hospital,” Ruby breathed, fear in her voice. _

_ “Don’t worry, Mama! We can totally get you there!” Aella said confidently. “You know that Lavey’s been  _ **_dying_ ** _ to learn how to drive, and-” _

_ “NO! I-I mean, I… actually don’t  _ **_want_ ** _ to go to the hospital. We can just wait for your other mothers to get back, and then plan from there.” _

_ “They’re four hours away,” Akio said, coming back into the room with a pile of books, which he was hauling in a small cart behind him. _

_ “Four hours?!” Ruby shrieked. _

_ “They went to this special store to get you calming flowers,” Adolpha said, sitting down next to Ruby and awkwardly trying to comfort her. _

_ “Wait… Mama Ruby is going to give birth?! Here?! Right now?! On the couch?! And… and  _ **_we’re_ ** _ going to have to help?!” _

_ Auburn started to breathe faster and faster, hyperventilating as he held his head in his hands. _

_ Suddenly, he keeled over backwards, passing out before he even hit the ground. _

_ Everyone stared at him for a moment before Lavey walked over and cautiously kicked him in the side, seeing if he’d react. _

_ He didn’t, and she sighed. _

_ “Not only does he break the scroll and then pass out, but he does it in the middle of the room.” _

_ Lavey leaned down and called over Jin to help her shove Auburn to the side of the room, hoping he wouldn’t be able to get in the way anymore over there. _

_ Jin stood at about the same height as Lavey at the moment, and the two tiny girls were able to shove their taller brother to the side after a little bit. _

_ / _

“Wait she was small?” Yvenne asked, pointing at Jin.

“Yeah, she was adorable,” Saffron said, leaning closer and setting her head on Jin’s shoulder.

Jin flushed and smiled fondly at her while Ruby rolled her eyes sufferingly.

Meanwhile, Auburn was curled in on himself, trying to look like he wasn’t there, but Clover seemed in disbelief at the entire situation, sneaking glances at his boyfriend.

_ / _

_ “Is Auburn alright?” Ruby asked, trying to sit up. _

_ Aella gently pushed her back down and nodded. _

_ “Yup! He’s perfectly fine, mom! Just needed a minute!” _

_ Aella glanced behind her and made eye contact with Lavey, who snapped her fingers to get Crystal’s attention. _

_ Crystal groaned before she stalked over to help Lavey and Jin. _

_ The three lifted their brother into the air and carried him into the bedroom. Instead of putting him on the bed, they unceremoniously dropped him onto the ground before they hurried out and went to help. _

_ “See? They put him in the bedroom,” Aella said in a soothing tone. “And now Akio’s doing some research! He was always the smart one, wasn’t he? Bet he’s more qualified than the doctors already!” _

_ Akio looked up and locked eyes with her, slowly shaking his head. _

_ Aella waved him off subtly, trying to keep Ruby’s attention on her. _

_ “Everyone, I need some help going through these. Get everything you can about childbirth, ignore the rest of it!” Akio called. _

_ “Really? You don’t think it’s pertinent for me to figure out how to feed a baby right this second, Kio?” Crystal asked sarcastically. _

_ “Does everything have to be an argument?!” Adolpha hissed. _

_ “Maybe,” Crystal and Lavey said at the same time. _

_ “Not the time, guys!” Jin called, grabbing a book. _

_ “Aella, help us research,” Adolpha said as she flipped through a book, finding the page she was looking for. _

_ Ruby cried out as she had another contraction, and Aella let her squeeze her hand. _

_ “You  _ **_know_ ** _ I’m not exactly literate, Dolph! Dust, my grades alone should tell you that,” Aella said. “I’d probably just be more trouble than I’m worth. How about I just keep our mother company, huh?” _

_ Adolpha seemed like she was about to argue, but Lavey reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling Adolpha closer so that she could hiss into her ear. _

_ “Do you want to be the one to deal with that?!” _

_ Adolpha was about to respond, but Ruby cried out again, and Aella winced as her hand was squeezed, though she laughed it off. _

_ Adolpha paled. _

_ “Yeah, didn’t think so. Now shut up and read.” _

_ / _

_ It was three hours later when Akio said, very seriously, that it was time for Ruby to start pushing. _

_ Everyone was  _ **_terrified_ ** _ at the words, but Lavey had squared her shoulders and said that she could lead their mother through it… even though they had all thought that Akio should do it. _

_ “No way! That’s my mom! I’ll tell  _ **_you_ ** _ how to do it, but I’m not touching  _ **_anything_ ** _ down there,” Akio said, shaking his head. _

_ Lavey leaned down and started to get a look at what was going on, but she immediately paled and fell backward with a strangled cry. _

_ “Nope! Nope! Mama Ruby, you mind just… holding this thing in?” _

_ Ruby looked up to give Lavey a disbelieving look. _

_ “Right… didn’t think that would be enough to convince you. How about this? You hold Meriah in, and I give you free desserts!” _

_ Ruby let out another cry of pain, and Lavey winced, unconsciously moving backward. _

_ “Guys, I am, officially, out of my depths. Dolph, Cy, you care to give it a try?” _

_ Adolpha looked  _ **_terrified_ ** _ for the first time that Lavey could remember, and Crystal shook her head quickly, holding up her hands. _

_ “Don’t look at me, Lav.” _

_ “Jin?” she asked pleadingly. _

_ Jin shook her head, hiding behind Adolpha and peeked over her shoulder with a worried expression on her face. _

_ “Don’t worry, guys! Kio, you can walk me through it, right?” she asked. _

_ Akio nodded. _

_ “Then there’s no need to panic!” Aella leaned forward and made eye contact with her mother. “I can fix this. After all, what’s birth but backwards death? And I’ve come  _ **_so_ ** _ close to that  _ **_so_ ** _ many times.” _

_ “Birth or death?” Lavey called. _

_ “Yes!” _

_ / _

“There’s no way you said that,” Yvenne said in disbelief.

“No, I did!” Aella said with a proud look on her face. She looked like she was going to shift in her seat, perhaps bounce in excitement, but Raelynn was still in her lap, and she looped her arms around Aella’s neck, moving closer and setting her head on Aella’s chest.

“Of course you did, Ally,” Raelynn said, running one hand down Aella’s arm.

Aella seemed a bit confused by the action, but she offered Raelynn a smile as she leaned back on the couch, letting Raelynn get more situated, pulling her legs up to set them on Aella as well.

_ / _

_ Ruby was freaking out at this point, and as Aella looked into her eyes, her attempts to comfort her did nothing to help, and may have actually made the situation worse. _

_ “Lav, mind getting me some gloves?” she called. _

_ “The ones in the kitchen?” _

_ “Nope! In the garage!” _

_ “You’re not using your grease-stained gloves to hold Meriah!” Ruby snapped. _

_ “Of course not!” Aella cried, sounding offended. “I’ve got sanitized ones there too! So how about you just lean back and take a deep breath, because I’m here,” Aella put a hand on her mother’s knee, “and I can fix this.” _

_ “I’m stressing  _ **_because_ ** _ you’re here, Aella!” _

_ Aella winced, but her smile didn’t fade. _

_ “Honestly? Can’t blame you! I’m your least responsible kid, have no medical training, and I’m about to deliver Meriah!” Ruby was nodding very emphatically. “But you know what? I’m the best we’ve got,” Ruby looked terrified at the words, “and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that we get through this.” _

_ Ruby reconsidered using the van. _

_ “Okay, Kio! Hit me! But not really, because I have to deliver this baby.” _

_ Ruby screamed, but not because of contractions. _

_ / _

_ “That’s it, Mama!” Aella couched. “One last push!” _

_ Ruby, in a state of blind pain, almost forgot that it was Aella, her _ **_ten-year-old daughter_ ** _ , that was helping her give birth, and she squeezed Adolpha’s hand tightly. _

_ “That’s it! Oh, you’re doing great!” Aella said enthusiastically. _

_ Lavey and Crystal were on Ruby’s other side, both of them taking turns on letting her squeeze their tiny little hands. _

_ Jin was using a towel to dab water onto their mother’s forehead (they’d seen it on the television, but they weren’t sure if it actually helped). _

_ Akio was giving Aella quiet tips, but it seemed like she had taken over on her own, coaching their mother through it. _

_ “You’re almost there… and…,” Aella gently held Meriah in both of her hands, being careful not to drop her, “there she is! Little Meriah! You want to hold her?” _

_ Ruby stared in disbelief as her senses slowly came back to her. _

_ She nodded, but she couldn’t stop herself from saying the first thing that came to mind. _

_ “Oh shit, Aella, did you just deliver a baby?!” she hissed. _

_ Aella hesitated as she put Meriah in her mother’s arms. _

_ “Uh… yeah? I… I guess I did. But you did all the real work. You were  _ **_awesome_ ** _ , Mama Ruby, and look at little Meriah! Isn’t she so cute? With her little floppy ears, awwww.” _

_ / _

“You seriously delivered your little sister?!” Yvenne cried.

Aella shrugged.

“Uh… yeah. It seemed like the only option at the time, so… I delivered her.”

“It was literally the only option that we had,” Ruby said, shaking her head. Aella laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Yeah, but… we got the job done, right?”

Raelynn leaned closer and set her head on Aella’s shoulder and quietly whispered into her ear.

“Sure seems like you did.  _ Very _ impressive.”

Aella seemed surprised, but she sat up a bit straighter.

“Thanks, Rae…”

“You know, looking back, you and Akio were, like, the only real help.”

Adolpha, Crystal, Jin, and Lavey squawked in outrage.

“Did any of you help deliver the baby?!” Ruby hissed.

“We didn’t pass out, that’s for sure,” Lavey said, crossing her arms.

“That’s literally the bare minimum!” Ruby snapped. “But anyways…”

_ / _

_ The children were able to get their mother to the bedroom, walking over Auburn, who was still on the ground, and Aella grabbed Meriah as Ruby groaned in pain. _

_ “Hey, just get some sleep, Mama Ruby, we’ve got her. You did  _ **_awesome_ ** _ today!” Aella said gently, bouncing up and down a bit as she held her sister. _

_ Ruby fell asleep a few minutes later, and Aella laid down at her side. The rest of them joined a few minutes later, all staring at Meriah with wide grins on their faces, occasionally playing with her little ears gently. _

_ Eventually, the front door opened, and Adolpha and Jin raced toward the front of the house. _

_ Yang, Blake, and Weiss all seemed pretty happy with themselves, and they were talking about surprising Ruby with a romantic evening. Yang was going to take the children for most of the night while Weiss and Blake got to spend time with their wife, but they were interrupted as Adolpha skidded to a stop in front of them. _

_ “Hey!” she said enthusiastically. _

_ “We miss anything exciting?” Yang asked playfully, ruffling Adolpha’s hair. _

_ “Mhm!” _

_ “What?” Blake asked, looking over with a bit of concern on her face. _

_ “Did you know that Meriah has the  _ **_cutest_ ** _ little brown ears?” _

_ Weiss, Blake, and Yang hesitated at the words, but they seemed to calm when Weiss spoke. _

_ “Did you find your Semblance while we were gone?” she asked. _

_ “Oh! And she got your eyes, Mama Weiss!” Jin called, ignoring what Weiss had said. _

_ They all froze. _

_ “She what?” Blake asked slowly. _

_ “Yeah, I don’t think I heard you right,” Yang said, shaking her head. _

_ “She  _ **_did_ ** _ get Mama Weiss’ eyes! Come and see yourself!” Jin said. _

_ The groceries and flowers tumbled out of their hands, and their eyes widened in shock. _

_ There was a moment of silence before Yang took off at a sprint, racing through the house. Blake was right at her heels, grabbing onto Weiss’ hand. It was good that she did so, because Weiss would have toppled over in shock if not for Blake’s help. _

_ They all burst into the room, staring at Aella and Meriah with disbelief. _

_ Lavey shushed them. _

_ “Hey! We just got her to sleep!” Lavey hissed. “Keep it down!” _

_ “Yeah,  _ **_now_ ** _ they decide to show up,” Crystal muttered. _

_ “Classic,” Akio said, shaking his head. _

_ His sisters agreed, and there was a groan. _

_ Yang stumbled as she stepped on something, and she almost fell over when she realized that it had been her own son. _

_ Auburn sat up slowly, and Aella rolled her eyes. _

_ “Sleeping Beauty finally decided to join the land of the living, huh?” Lavey said. _

_ Aella chuckled quietly, but she was focused on keeping Meriah asleep in her arms, rocking back and forth. _

_ Weiss toppled toward the ground, in a way very reminiscent of her youngest son, but Blake caught her before hurrying over to grab Meriah. _

_ “Hey! Stay away!” Lavey hissed, grabbing Aella and pulling her closer. _

_ “You get to hold her when the doctors  _ **_say so_ ** _ ,” Crystal said, gesturing at Akio and Aella with her head. _

_ “What?!” Yang cried, clearly anxious to hold her daughter. _

_ “Aella delivered Meriah with Akio’s help. You’ll have to get permission, civilians. You weren’t there for the battle. You didn’t see what we saw,” Lavey said grimly. _

_ “You saw it for, like, two seconds,” Aella said, shaking her head. _

_ “Still don’t know how you did it,” Lavey muttered. _

_ “AELLA DELIVERED THE BABY?!” Weiss screamed. _

_ Meriah and Ruby both woke up immediately, Meriah starting to cry immediately. _

_ Aella looked heartbroken. _

_ “Hey, Merrie, calm down, it’s alright! Don’t worry, I’m here, just think happy thoughts! Can babies think? I guess they have to instinctually, but not in words… do you think that’s the primal basis of human thoughts, and we just never get to remember them? What could we have thought up at such a young age?” Meriah seemed oddly calmed by the ranting. “But then again, if we could recall, we couldn’t articulate them, because words would just sully it!” _

_ “A true paradox,” Akio said, shaking his head. _

_ Weiss, Yang, and Blake stared at them blankly, not knowing how to react in the slightest. _

_ After about fifteen minutes, they remembered they should probably take them to the hospital. _

_ / _

There was a shocked silence from Yvenne, but that didn’t stop everyone else from bursting into conversation.

Most were talking to their significant others, but Aella was drawn into conversation by Raelynn.

“Why don’t you tell that story more, Ally?” she asked.

“Uh… because Mama Ruby said it was a traumatic event and I should probably go to a therapist?”

“But it’s so sweet,” Abdera said with a grin. “Taking care of your mother like that? It’s really nice.”

Aella awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

“Uh, thanks, but it was nothing.”

“It was definitely something,” Zohra said, having ambled in halfway through the story. She was now leaning over the back of the couch.

Kesey shoved her, almost causing her to go falling over the side.

“It was  _ amazing, _ Ally!”

Meanwhile, Ruby had fallen silent, staring at Aella with wide eyes.

“Hey, when did that happen?” she hissed to Yang.

“What?”

Romy sighed and ran a hand down her face.

“Two months ago, far as I can tell.”

Aella awkwardly laughed as Raelynn pulled closer.

Meanwhile, Yvenne was still no closer to understanding how  **any** of this worked.


	17. Break Down

Ilesha glanced between her two girlfriends for a moment. It seemed that the temporary truce they had been in since the end of the story was over, and they were back to stealing glares at each other when they thought she wouldn’t notice.

She might not be the brightest, but she could tell when the two women she was in love with were upset, and she could typically figure out what was upsetting them too.

She had tried  _ several _ times to find a way for the two of them to get along, but it seemed like she was going to have to finally teach them a lesson.

-

Zohra and Kesey had been, predictably, glaring at each other the entire day, and people were starting to ask them what was going on. Neither had given a response, but Zohra thought the reason for their fighting was obvious.

Seemed like people were rather dense after all, she supposed.

Zohra and Kesey were both walking down the hallway when she realized that they were the only ones in there. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment before she looked around.

She smirked for a bit before she schooled her features, turning to Kesey. In one fluid motion, she grabbed her by the wrist with one hand and shoved her up against the wall with her other, glaring at her darkly.

“Hate to ruin the mood,” Kesey said, staring down at her with a raised eyebrow, “but I have to say that I’m distinctly  _ not _ interested.”

Zohra’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Kesey, leaning closer with a menacing look on her face.

“You know that’s the exact opposite of our problem,” Zohra growled.

“Oh, is it? Then do enlighten me, all knowing one. Grace me with your knowledge if you deem me so worthy,” Kesey said in a mock formal voice. “Should I get on my knees and beg, perhaps?”

Zohra’s grasp on her wrist tightened and she glared darker.

“You  _ know _ why we’re fighting, Kesey.”

“Do I?” Kesey put on a fake look of consideration. “Maybe you should spell it out for me. After all, I am a, what did you call me, again? A waste of forty-six chromosomes? A testament to the errors of evolution?”

Zohra gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to remind herself not to strangle Kesey.

“Aella.”

“What about her, Zo? She is  _ quite _ lovely, but I’m afraid that your point eludes me,” Kesey said, raising an eyebrow.

Zohra growled.

“Aella. That’s why we’re fighting.”

“This seems to be difficult for you to articulate. Perhaps you need a dictionary? I think Meriah has a baby’s first dictionary somewhere in the attic. Need an adult to accompany you to go get it?” Kesey said, leaning a bit closer to Zohra with a smug smirk.

“Fine!” Zohra snapped. “You like her, I like her, that’s why we’re fighting.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?” Kesey asked, blinking innocently. “Would have made this whole thing so much clearer!”

Zohra watched as Kesey’s face went from innocent to smug as she moved even closer.

“Too bad you’re too slow at charming her too, huh? Maybe if you’d used that head start of yours, you wouldn’t be so far behind. No matter,” Kesey shoved Zohra off of her, “I promise to keep Aella taken care of. No need to trouble yourself, Zo.”

Zohra seethed as Kesey sauntered down the hall in front of her, trying to force herself not to go sprinting after her.

-

Raelynn stretched as she sat down on the sand.

She and Braelyn had successfully gotten out of the giant sandcastle that had surrounded them, and they were seated on the beach watching everyone.

Aella was currently talking to Yvenne, who was looking at her with fascination. Aella showed off her gliders, and Yvenne was instantly captivated, hesitantly running her hand down them. After a few minutes of questioning, it seemed that Aella had offered to show her how they worked, and Yvenne had scrambled onto her back for a ride.

Raelynn and Braelyn watched the two for a moment, both scowling just a bit.

Abdera, meanwhile, was talking to Jin, the two chatting aimlessly, but it was clear that Abdera kept sneaking glances at Aella.

Suddenly, Abdera glanced over at the two of them, smiling shyly and sending them a wave.

Both of them smirked as they waved back, leaning closer to one another.

“You think it’s working?” Braelyn asked.

“Please, it might be working  _ too _ well,” Raelynn replied.

“I don’t know, Aella can be pretty oblivious,” Braelyn whispered.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, they’ll be ours within the month.”

Meanwhile, Cassandra was lounging on the beach, soaking up as much sun as she could. When she had heard her sister Braelyn talking about sunburns, she had laughed for a solid two minutes, insulting her the whole way through.

Now, she was talking to Kesey as the two sat there. Kesey sent a glare toward Zohra as she watched Aella fly through the air above her head.

-

Ilesha had had enough.

When Lavey reached an arm around her waist to pull closer, Crystal slapped her hand and started to hiss insults at her.

They seemed to think that Ilesha couldn’t hear them, which was stupid. After all, she  _ did _ have ears, which meant that she heard almost every insult and hissed sentence that the two threw at each other.

And she had finally had enough of it.

She shoved herself to her feet and glared down at the two. Lavey tumbled to the side, having been leaning against Ilesha, and fell into her sister’s lap.

“That’s it! I’m done!” Ilesha screamed.

Crystal and Lavey both glanced at each other, eyes wide.

“With… what exactly?” Lavey asked hesitantly, leaning closer to Crystal.

“You two! I’m sick of the fighting! I know it’s hard for you two to date the same person, but have you  _ never _ considered what it’s like for me?!” Ilesha snapped. “I have to watch the two people I’m in love with argue and bicker everyday because of  **me** ! You two used to be so close, and now?” Ilesha sighed, running a hand through her hair. They both watched as the electricity drained from it, leaving it a dark shade of brown, as if her energy was being drained from her. By the time her hand had finished running through it, the electricity stopped crackling. “Now I know it’s because of me.  _ I’m _ the reason you two can’t stop fighting. So you know what? I… I think we’re going to have to break up.”

Ilesha let out a sigh, her body shaking slightly with a barely concealed sob. Crystal and Lavey reached out toward her, trying to stop her, but she had already turned away, walking down the hallway with slow steps.

She left the two of them to stare at her retreating figure with shock and despair.

Ilesha’s hair, for the first time in her life, had turned pitch black.


	18. Aftermath

Yvenne had just been set down by Aella, and she had a grin on her face as she got herself settled again.

“Sorry if it was a bit bumpy, don’t have my cloak right now, and I usually have it on, but someone’s using it right now…”

Aella looked over and saw Raelynn and Braelyn wave at her with identical smirks. She waved back with a small smile before she turned away, focusing on Yvenne.

“It’s amazing how well those work!” Yvenne said, running her hand down her glider again.

“Well, my Semblance helped a little bit,” Aella replied, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish grin.

“What is it?” Yvenne asked, still looking at Aella’s gliders. Her voice sounded a little bit different, almost as if she had an accent. Aella didn’t want to say anything about it, so she decided to ignore it. It was just a bit odd that she hadn’t heard the accent before.

“Wind manipulation! You know, makes it easier to stay afloat for longer,” Aella shrugged. “Not an especially  _ useful _ Semblance for other stuff, but-”

“Didn’t you beat the shit out of Saffron that one time?” Jin asked, frowning.

“Uh, actually, it was  _ two times, _ ” Romy said, crossing her arms.

Yvenne glanced at Aella, looking lost.

“That… that a big deal ‘round these parts?” Yvenne asked.

They all stared at her, and Yvenne’s eyes widened when she realized that she had let her accent slip, showing off  _ exactly _ how country she was.

“Well, I mean, yeah!” Abdera said, shrugging. She was staring at Aella with shock.

“She  **did** win last year’s Vytal Tournament,” Kesey said.

“Oh really?” Yvenne asked. “I thought that had been… Ilesha, I guess.”

“Ilesha?!” Saffron shrieked in offense, causing Yvenne to snicker a little. She hadn’t thought that Saffron’s voice could get that high. “WHY HER?!”

“I don’t know, I’ve heard her name a lot, something about dance fighting and singing? I don’t know,” Yvenne said, shrugging.

“Well, I beat her up and advanced to fight Adolpha in the finals,” Saffron said smugly.

“And what happened to you?” Yvenne asked, glancing at Aella.

“Oh, team JARR, my team, sent Jin on into the single rounds, I was done after the doubles. But you know Jin, she’s a  _ powerhouse _ !” Aella said, grinning.

“Hey, I’d say you’re a powerhouse too,” Zohra said.

Kesey scoffed to herself and rolled her eyes.

-

Crystal and Lavey were yelling at each other, even though it had been almost an hour and a half.

Blake’s ear twitched a few rooms away as she heard them.

“MY FAULT?! YOU’RE THE ONE THAT TRIED TO KICK ME OUT OF THE BED LAST NIGHT!” Lavey screamed at full volume.

“IF I HEAR ONE MORE DAMN WORD ABOUT THAT-”

Blake turned to look at Ruby and Yang, eyes wide.

“Crystal and Lavey need you,” she said.

“They what?” Yang asked.

Ruby, who was shoveling a few cookies into her mouth, paused for a moment, her eyes wide.

“They’re down the hall, you’ll hear them when you’re closer,” Blake said. “Hurry.”

-

Crystal stopped for just a moment when she saw the door open.

Lavey and Crystal turned to see Yang and Ruby standing at the door, staring at them with wide eyes.

Crystal and Lavey were both scowling, having been yelling at each other for longer than they cared to admit while they had paced back and forth in the room.

“What… what’s wrong?” Yang asked slowly, glancing at Ruby for a moment.

Lavey and Crystal both finally quit pacing, and they both stared at the ground.

“Ilesha broke up with us! That’s what’s wrong!” Crystal shrieked.

Yang and Ruby both froze.

“She… she what?” Ruby asked.

“She broke up with us!” Lavey screamed. She then quieted. “She… she broke up with us.”

Lavey wiped at her eyes, looking away. Crystal slumped at the words, her tail hitting the ground with a defeated  _ thump. _

“Why?” Yang asked gently, putting her arms around Crystal and pulling her against her chest as she started to cry.

Ruby held Lavey, letting her hide in her cloak so that nobody could see her crying.

“We… we messed up,” Lavey whispered.

-

Ilesha was laying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

Had she messed up?

She thought she had. How could she break up with them? They were everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever dreamed of.

And yet she had broken up with them.

She’d broken up with them because every second they were together was tearing her apart. She couldn’t deal with them fighting over her, and doing it _right_ next to her.

She loved them so much, had loved them for as long as she could remember, but… but she couldn’t stay with them, not when it tore them apart from each other.

Ilesha couldn’t date them both, and she knew that there was no way that she could date just one of them, both because of herself and the women she loved. She couldn’t let them be torn apart by her, and she couldn’t let them tear each other apart.

Ilesha guessed that the worst part had been that, for the longest time, she had never thought it would happen. And then it did, and she… she was mostly happy. She knew that it wouldn’t last, but for the briefest time, she had let herself think that it would.

But now… now she knew how stupid that had been.

Of course it wouldn’t work out. How could she have thought that Crystal and Lavey could share? They were never able to share  **anything** ! Dust, the relationship itself had started with them competing over her! Ilesha had thought that if she had worked hard enough, if she gave enough of herself, then things could work out.

She guessed that was silly too, now that she thought about it.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She glanced at it as she did so, she noticed that her hair was a dark shade of black. Ilesha considered for a moment. Her hair had always been tied to her emotions, in some ways. Her Aunt Natalie’s Semblance had been a lot like that, except hers worked when she blushed. Ilesha’s electricity buildup was always higher when she was happy. Zohra had explained that it was probably because of different hormones and neurons and electrical impulses, but Ilesha didn’t care at the moment.

She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face, not liking that the floppy locks kept falling in her face. She didn’t like being reminded of it.

There were loud footsteps as someone started to walk through the room, and Ilesha glanced over lazily.

“Hey, Jinny,” Ilesha said. She tried to force a smile, to make her voice excited.

It didn’t work in the slightest.

The room was dark, and Jin squinted, trying to make out color, even with her Faunus eyes.

“Sparky? Is that you?” Jin asked. “What’s wrong with your hair?”

“Yup, it’s me… and I dunno, it’s never been this… dark. Then again,” Ilesha let out a laugh, though it was forced, “neither has my mood!”

“What happened?” Jin asked immediately, sitting down next to her.

“I broke up with Crystal and Lavey.”

“You what?!” Jin cried.

Ilesha winced.

“Sorry, Jinny, I know you’re their sister, but-”

“What? No, screw them-or, well, don’t, I suppose… anyways, I’m with you all the way, Sparky.”

Ilesha chuckled, wiping at her eyes.

“Thanks.”

“Anything you need? What can I do?”

“Actually, there’s one big favor I need from you.”

“Of course.”

-

“Are you sure it’s allowed?” Cooper asked nervously.

“Coop, she just broke up with them, I’m sure it can be an exception,” Jin said.

“She-oh my Dust! Ilesha, are you alright?! Oh, I always knew you were too good for them, come inside, come inside,” Cooper said, guiding her in.

Ilesha glanced over at Cooper, her hair lightening just a shade.

“You’re siding with me?” she whispered.

“Of course we’re siding with you!” Jin cried.

“Yeah, our sisters are bitches anyways!” Meriah said triumphantly. Meriah hesitated before she leaned forward and tugged on Jin’s shirt. “What does bitches mean?”

Jin decided that was a discussion for later.

“You broke up?!” Yvenne cried, pushing herself off of her bed and hurrying over. “What happened? You guys seemed…,” Yvenne seemed a bit shocked, “really happy.”

“We… I thought we were, but… I couldn’t keep doing this. They couldn’t share, couldn’t both date me. It… it was tearing me apart, and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Because they’re sisters, right?” Yvenne asked gently, looking around awkwardly.

“Yes, but… well, I thought that because of their parents they  _ might _ be able to share at least  **something** like that, but…,” Ilesha shook her head, forcing a smile, “guess I wasn’t enough. I… I hope they find someone else. Or, well, two someone elses… anyways, it’s not a big deal, they’ll move on, I’ll move on… we weren’t meant to last anyways.”

Ilesha’s hair turned a slightly darker shade of black, and she forced a smile.

She felt like she’d be doing that a lot in the future.


	19. Scars

Romelle glanced around before she groaned.

“Where’d she go?” she asked, looking over at Yvenne.

“Wh-wait she’s gone?!” Yvenne cried, spinning and trying to locate the gremlin.

“Of course she’s gone, she’s Romy. No way you’re getting her to stay still!” Romelle replied.

“Well, where do you think she went?” Yvenne asked, squinting as she looked down the beach. She moved and put one hand in front of her face to block the sun.

“How am I supposed to know?!” Romelle cried.

“You’re her  _ twin sister, _ I thought you might know  _ something _ about what she’s thinking!” Yvenne said incredulously.

“We’re twins, not the same damn person, Yvenne!” Romelle hissed. “Besides, she could be  **anywhere!** Jin isn’t even here to ask, and-”

Romelle cut herself off as her eyes widened.

“Wait, I think I know where she might be.”

“See! Twin powers!” Yvenne cried.

Romelle’s eye twitched before she took a calming breath. When she was done, she reached one hand up to her mouth and whistled loudly.

Adolpha rolled over, spraying sand everywhere. Meriah had been burying Adolpha in sand for fun, and she stared in shock as Adolpha ran off toward Romelle.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?” Adolpha asked, skidding to a stop in front of her.

Romelle smiled at her fondly, rolling her eyes before she turned to look at Yvenne.

Yvenne glanced between Romelle and Adolpha, wondering  _ quite _ a few things about them.

She thought they were rather cute together, but she wasn’t sure if she should be worried about them. After all, Ilesha, Crystal, and Lavey had seemed perfect until they’d broken up…

Romelle motioned for Adolpha to turn around, and she did so without complaint, allowing her girlfriend to leap up and grab onto her back.

“To Cooper’s room!” Romelle cried, holding on tightly.

Adolpha giggled and rolled her eyes before she took off, making Yvenne curse. She tried to keep up, but the two were running, or, more specifically, Adolpha was running, too fast for her to match their pace.

When they finally stopped and entered Cooper’s room (Yvenne arriving a full minute later), they entered the room to see Ilesha laying on Yvenne’s bed.

Jin was seated beside her, gently running her hand through Ilesha’s hair.

Ilesha looked up when she saw Romelle, Adolpha, and Yvenne, forcing a smile.

“What’re you two doing here? You should be outside, enjoying the beach!” Ilesha said, sitting up. When she did so, she revealed that Romy had been laying down beside her on the bed.

“Thought we’d check up on you,” Romelle lied, climbing off of Adolpha’s back and sitting on the ground nearby Ilesha.

-

Jin glanced over at Yvenne for a moment, finding that Yvenne was staring at Romy. She frowned in confusion, feeling her jealousy flare up. After everything that had happened with Aella, she was trying to control it, but she couldn’t help but scowl at Yvenne.

Yvenne seemed to notice that someone was looking at her, perhaps it was her Aura alerting her, and she glanced back at Jin with a small frown.

“What?”

“Why are you staring at Romy?”

“Romelle told me to keep an eye on her while she comforted Ilesha, and I didn’t want her running off, what with her not being cleared and all.”

“SHE’S NOT WHAT?!”

Jin spun around, looking for her girlfriend, but she didn’t find her.

“WHERE’D SHE GO?!”

Jin reached out and grabbed Yvenne around the waist before throwing her over her shoulder and taking off at a sprint.

Saffron looked over at Jin as she grabbed her hand, dragging her off as well.

“Where are we going?” Saffron asked casually, matching her pace.

“Romy lied to us.”

“Yes, she’s a gremlin, she does happen to do that sort of thing from time to time,” Saffron said, shrugging.

“About being cleared,” Jin continued.

Saffron hesitated for a moment, tripping over her feet, before she steadied herself and shook her head.

“Why are we going to slow then?!” she snapped, grabbing Jin around the waist before pushing herself into the air with Gravity Dust from her boots. “Which way?!”

Jin pointed to the right, and Saffron started to lop with large steps, Yvenne letting out a shriek. She clung to Jin tightly, trying to make sure she didn’t fall off and hit the ground.

“What’s happening?!”

“We’re running, Yvenne,” Saffron replied.

“How?!” Yvenne screamed.

“With my legs. That’s typically how you do it, after all,” Saffron said, raising an eyebrow and giving her a mischievous smirk.

Jin rolled her eyes.

“She’s using Gravity Dust. It’s Saffron’s Semblance,” Jin said.

“Dust is her Semblance?!” Yvenne cried.

“Not exactly,” Saffron said, glancing back at Yvenne and sending her a playful wink before they took another large step.

Before Yvenne could ask anything else, they landed, Saffron setting down Jin with a gentle smile on her face.

They both turned as they saw Romy sprinting toward the ocean, throwing off a towel as she did so.

Saffron and Jin took off toward her, dragging Yvenne along with them as she hung onto Jin’s shoulder as if her life depended on it.

Saffron was the first to reach Romy, and she grabbed her under the arms, scooping her into the air. Romy continued to try to run, but her legs were dangling over a foot in the air, and they just kicked back and forth.

Saffron snickered a little before Jin put her hand on her shoulder. Saffron remembered that she was supposed to be serious, and she glared.

“You didn’t tell us you weren’t cleared,” Jin said darkly.

“Snitches get stitches, Yvenne. Just ask Clover,” Romy growled.

Yvenne hesitated. She’d heard Vander say that numerous times (mostly to Pandora), but she hadn’t figured out what the second half meant, and it made her rather nervous.

“Come on, you know you’re not… cleared…,” Saffron looked down at Romy, eyes landing on her scars. She frowned a bit, almost reaching one hand down to run her thumb across it.

Romy stopped, staring at Saffron.

After a moment, her face went red, and she squirmed, trying to get out of her grasp, and Saffron held her tighter.

“Hey, Romy, hey, what’s wrong?” Saffron asked, trying to sound comforting. She wasn’t great at that, but she was trying, at least.

Romy glanced down at her stomach, which was, for once, on full display with her swimsuit on. It was riddled with scars, and Jin had been staring at it with a sad look on her face.

Romy looked away, trying not to show the tears in her eyes.

Jin took a moment before everything clicked, and her eyes widened.

“Oh, no-that’s not-Romy, what…,” Jin took a deep breath. “There’s nothing wrong with scars. We just get worried and-”

“Jin, I don’t know what  _ you _ were staring for, but I was distracted,” Saffron gave Romy a smirk and a wink, “scars are hot. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Romy glanced over at Saffron for a moment, Yvenne and Jin both staring at her incredulously.

_ Really? That’s she thinks of? That’s not going to- _

Jin’s thoughts were cut short as Romy started to laugh, turning into a giggle as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Saffron’s.

“You’re so cheesy.”

“And stupid, don’t forget that,” Saffron said encouragingly.

“Oh yeah, I won’t. Kind of seared into my brain,” Romy replied, rolling her eyes.

Saffron laughed again and shook her head, gently shifting Romy until she was holding her bridal style. She glanced over at Jin before she leaned against her gently, the three standing on the beach. Yvenne had front row seats to the three, and she couldn’t help but stare, her eyes wide.

“How about we go back to the room? Take a little break, make sure you didn’t hurt yourself?” Jin said.

Romy sighed and rolled her eyes, but Jin leaned down and cradled her face with one hand before bending down and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Yvenne awkwardly pushed herself off of Jin’s shoulder, but Jin didn’t seem to notice, as the three headed back to their room.

She… hadn’t seen those three up close together before, and she couldn’t help but think that they acted like most normal couples that she had seen. It was an odd dynamic, that was for sure, but… they were odd people.

Yvenne watched as they walked off, a small look of consideration on her face.


	20. I Go Back to Black

Ilesha was laying on the bed for a moment, considering as she looked up at the ceiling. Her hair had fallen into her face, and she reached one hand up to brush it out of the way before she rolled over on the bed, forcing a smile.

“You know, Jinny, I think I want a haircut.”

“You what?” Jin asked, looking over, her eyes wide.

“I want a haircut! Think we could get Rosemary to do us a favor?”

Jin hesitated, glancing over at Saffron and Romy.

Romy nodded quickly, standing up and heading over to the door.

“Yeah, I can go get her.”

Saffron glanced over at Yvenne, but she had already stood up to follow the other girl, rolling her eyes at the thought of Romy trying to slip off again. She made sure to follow her closely this time.

“Any reason why you want to cut your hair now?” Jin asked hesitantly.

“Eh, I don’t like the color,” Ilesha said, giving her a grin that faltered for just a moment.

Jin almost let that slide before she realized who was saying that. Anyone else, and she might have offered to dye it, but…

Jin sighed and reached over, putting her hand on the other girl’s leg and squeezing it.

“Alright. I get that. We’ll… we’ll have her cut it, alright?”

Ilesha gave her a forced smile before leaning a bit closer.

The door opened a minute later, and Rosemary walked in with a grin.

Ilesha knew that Rosemary had no idea what had happened, and it was nice to have someone that wasn’t walking on eggshells around her.

Rosemary maneuvered her over to a chair before grabbing her utensils and getting to work.

“How short do you want it?”

Ilesha took a moment to think, running a hand through her hair. She considered for a moment before she looked up at Rosemary and started to explain her choice.

About twenty-five minutes later, Ilesha’s hair was markedly shorter, the left side ending at about her hair as the black strands curled at the end. On the right, she had gone with an undercut, and she ran a hand over it, feeling the short strands poke her fingers. She laughed a bit at the feeling, and she shook her head before she turned to Rosemary.

“Thanks, Rose!” she said, pushing all thoughts of her gi-

Her  _ ex _ -girlfriends out of her mind.

“Anytime, EP. Any reason that your hair’s… all-”

“Not really,” Ilesha said, shrugging as she leaned back. “Guess I could just use some more electricity.”

“Want me to get you some energy drinks?” Jin asked, pushing herself to her feet.

Ilesha nodded, brushing off her jacket.

“Yeah, that sounds great, Jinny!”

Jin left the room after a minute, coming back with a six pack of drinks and setting them down in front of Ilesha, who cheered up just a bit before she opened the first one.

Yvenne glanced over at Ilesha. She knew that the other girl had gone through a lot today, and she wanted to let the girl know that she was there for her even if they’d only just met, but-

Yvenne’s thoughts were cut off as Ilesha tilted her head back, starting to drink-no, she started to  _ inhale _ her first energy drink, not letting the need for oxygen get in her way as she downed the entire thing in five seconds flat.

Yvenne blinked in shock.

Obviously she hadn’t seen that right. There was no way that she had just watched Ilesha down an entire energy drink like that.

That was physically impossible, right? Especially for someone so skinn-

Ilesha grabbed the second drink and downed it in even less time.

Her hair gained a little bit of its former shine, but it wasn’t quite brown yet, still lingering closer to black. She grabbed another, and then another, and soon she was done.

Yvenne gaped at her, and Ilesha let out a little laugh as she leaned back a bit more.

“Did… did she just… and her hair… did her hair change colors?!” Yvenne hissed.

“Yeah, it does that!” Ilesha said. “Side effect of electrical buildup!”

“The WHAT?!” Yvenne hissed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jin said, waving her hand dismissively. “We’ll tell you all about it some time. Or, maybe Aella would be better at that. She loves a good info dump.”

Yvenne was about to ask more questions, but Ilesha was already distracted as she talked to Meriah.

-

Crystal and Lavey were both getting ready for dinner, seated side by side at the table as they looked at the entrance.

Ilesha was going to be coming in any second, presumably, and they would have the chance to talk some sense into her. Because… breaking up? There was no  **way** that Ilesha had actually meant that!

Of course she couldn’t.

Not after… not after everything they’d been through together. They’d been perfect this morning before Ilesha had ended things, and it wouldn’t be that hard to remind her of the good times, right?

Of course not!

Just talk some sense into her, that’s all they had to do, and they’d have their excitable, if somehow distractible, girlfriend back at their sides!

All they had to do was talk to her… and pretend that everything between them was fine.

They could act civil for one dinner, couldn’t they?

Then they’d be able to figure out everything from there. They’d planned on having to get along sharing her for the rest of their lives anyways, this wouldn’t be too bad.

“Remember, stick to the plan,” Lavey hissed, leaning closer to her sister.

Crystal shoved her back and shook her head.

“I know the plan!” she growled back, keeping her voice down.

Neither noticed that almost everyone in the room was glaring at the two of them, but what they  **did** notice was that Ilesha had just walked into the room.

She seemed… different, and not just her appearance. She was walking differently, almost as if with more certainty. Lately, she had been stooped most of the time when she walked, so that she could be closer to her girlfriends, but now she was standing tall, walking next to Jin. She wasn’t smiling, and there was a little bit of light to her eyes, but not as much as they were used to, making the difference stark enough to stand out noticeably. She wasn’t talking to Jin, which was odd, considering she was usually chatting away aimlessly when she was around people she was close to, and she ran a hand through her hair as she strode in. Their eyes moved up to look at her hand movement, taking in the new appearance. Her hair was far shorter now, and it was just a shade away from being the color of midnight. The undercut on her right side was easy to see, and hard for either of them to look away from.

It hadn’t even been a day, but she somehow looked like an entirely new person.

Crystal and Lavey scrambled to make it clear that there was a free seat in between them, but Ilesha didn’t look their way, instead taking her place between Cooper and Jin, giving them a small smile as she got her food together.

Dinner was torture as the two struggled to find a way to talk to her, but they couldn’t break into the conversation that Ilesha was having with the people around her, almost as if people were purposefully trying to keep them from doing so.

When it was over, Crystal and Lavey scrambled to get to the doors and catch Ilesha before she left. When Ilesha walked up, she glanced at the two of them before giving them a wide grin, just like she used to.

For just a moment, the two of them were able to pretend that nothing had happened. But, like all good things, that moment ended, and the two were forced to find something to say.

“Ilesha,” Lavey said first, taking a step forward. Crystal followed her, almost competitively.

“Can we talk to y-”

Crystal was cut off as Jin glared darkly at her and Ilesha shook her head.

“Sorry, Crystal, Lavey, I actually have to get going. Maybe some other time,” Ilesha said, giving them both a smile.

The smile, although kind, was heartbreaking.

It wasn’t the grin that was usually reserved for them only, the smile she would give them whenever she saw them walk into the room, not the way her eyes would light up whenever she was around them.

It was the same smile she gave strangers on the street, the same one she used at gigs.

It was at that moment that Crystal and Lavey realized…

She had been serious about what she had said that morning.

As Ilesha and Jin walked out of the room, the two of them watched her go with a mixture of disbelief and pain on their faces.

Lavey clenched her fist while Crystal’s tail drooped, landing on the ground as her eyes trailed their g… their ex.

They almost didn’t notice that Ilesha’s hair had gone back to black.


	21. Foundations

“It all started the way most stories start, with a beginning!” Aella said, grinning as she sat down in front of Yvenne. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a screwdriver, and she started to draw a diagram. “I was the fourth of the quadruplets, and the triplets, the Belladonna-Schnee triplets, that is, were born on the same day!” Aella continued to point out the members of their extended family before she got to the more recent stuff.

Yvenne was struggling to keep up.

“So Cooper’s pan, but single. I thought he had this thing going with his teammate, Mavros, but he’s not here right now, and he’s ace, so Cooper is sadly single, but if things don’t work out with Hunter, maybe you two can go out! You’re… I wanna say bi, right?” Aella asked, tilting her head to the side.

Yvenne struggled to keep up.

“Wh-no, I’m straight, Aella. I have a boyfriend,” Yvenne said quickly.

“Really?” Aella said, frowning. “Weird, you gave me lady lover vibes, but I guess not,” she shrugged. “Then there’s Adolpha and Romelle, they’ve been going out for a while now! They got together right before the dance, so that was,” Aella started to count on her fingers before she sighed and shook her head, “that was a time ago, the amount of which I do not care to quantify.”

Yvenne felt like she might need to be taking notes.

“Then there’s Auburn and Clover! They’ve been together for… oh, wow! Almost a year now! They got together just before the beginning of the first semester, so… yeah! Saffron, Romy, and Jin are probably the most famous ones, you know Saff won the Vytle Tournament last year, and she’s in, like, the most famous rock band ever, so-”

“Second most famous,” Yvenne corrected.

Aella hesitated, glancing over.

“What?”

“It’s the Adax Band, right?” Yvenne asked. Aella nodded. “Then it’s the second most famous, because the Thunder Bears are better.”

Aella looked personally offended.

“What?! No way! Thunder Bears are  _ trash _ in comparison! Adax Band is way better! They have the  **best** guitarist, and,” Aella hesitated for a moment, “and lead vocalist! Yeah, Ilesha’s great! And so are Saffron, Akio, Rosemary, and Arlen!”

Yvenne raised an eyebrow, and Aella shook her head, running a hand through her hair.

“Speaking of Ilesha, she just broke up with Lavey and Crystal, which is… rough to say the least. They got together in the Vytal Tournament, and Ilesha liked them for a while before it happened, but Ilesha couldn’t put up with them arguing all the time, because Crystal and Lavey can’t share anything, so they ruined it really. I think they’re trying to get her back, but I’ve never seen Ileshsa so… serious before.”

“So you don’t think they’re going to get back together?” Yvenne asked, feeling oddly upset at the idea.

“No, I… or, well… see, that’s complicated! There’s a lot of variables in that equation, and I don’t have assigned numerical values to them, and you can’t solve for five variables like that with only one equation! So… on one hand, they’re still in love with each other, and of course they want to get back together… but Lavey and Crystal would actually have to change and grow as people, and they’re not good at that! I mean, for Dust’s sake,” Aella threw her hands up, “they haven’t grown since we were ten, so they’re clearly out of practice in that regard!”

Yvenne hesitated for a moment before she started to laugh, shaking her head.

Aella took a moment before she chuckled too, leaning closer to Yvenne and running a hand through her hair.

“Yeah, so… everything’s been really complicated lately. At least Kio and Rose are happy, though. Those two never seem to have any drama.”

Yvenne shifted a bit, glancing back at Aella with a small smile.

“And what about you?”

“What about me?” Aella asked, tilting her head to the side just a bit in confusion.

Yvenne rolled her eyes sufferingly.

“You seem to know a lot about what everyone  _ else _ is going through, but you haven’t told me about you.”

“Not too much to say, honestly!” Aella said cheerfully, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky with a small smile. “I’m usually about, somewhere in the background, you know, fixing stuff. Never been in the spotlight, I guess. That sort of thing tends to happen when you’re the middle sibling of seven for ten years.”

Yvenne raised an eyebrow, glancing about.

She noticed that there were  _ several _ women staring at Aella, and Kesey, at least she thought that was Kesey, was shooting glares at Yvenne without even trying to hide it.

She looked back over at Aella and considered for a moment before she spoke.

“You know you don’t have to lie to me, right? I’m not going to judge you or anything,” Yvenne said.

Aella looked back at her and grinned, though she looked a little confused.

“Uh… thanks? But… any reason you’re telling me this now?”

Yvenne stared at her.

“You’re… you  _ are _ dating someone, right? Or, well, someones? I don’t know how to say that yet, but… you get what I mean.”

Aella took a moment to laugh, shaking her head. When Yvenne still looked confused, Aella’s eyes widened.

“Wait, you were serious? No, I’m not dating anyone. Single and too awkward to mingle, as I like to say.”

Yvenne glanced around, seeing that Raelynn was smiling fondly at Aella, leaning on her arms and completely ignoring Braelyn as she dashed off.

“Well,” Yvenne found herself smiling and glancing back at Aella, “maybe you should just keep an open mind. I’m sure any girl would be lucky to have you, Aella.”

Aella smiled for a moment before she frowned.

“Are you flirting with me?” she asked.

Yvenne spluttered, coughing. Her face turned a light shade of red.

When she was finally able to speak, she spun to face Aella.

“We  **_just_ ** covered that I’m straight  _ and _ have a boyfriend!” Yvenne cried, throwing her arms into the air. “The one person that isn’t flirting with you, and you pick  _ that _ up right away.”

She had muttered the last part, but Aella seemed to have heard it, considering she frowned in confusion.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Just… how about you tell me about your other friends? Maybe those girls you’re sharing a room with? What’re their names?”

“Raelynn, Braelyn, and Abdera!” Aella said, perking up immediately with a wide grin on her face.

“How about you tell me about them?” Yvenne said, leaning back and watching the ocean.

-

Ilesha glanced around as Meriah tugged her toward the beach with an excited grin.

“What are we doing?” Ilesha asked, averting her gaze when she saw Lavey and Crystal on the beach. They were both looking at her, but Ilesha pretended that she hadn’t noticed, smiling down at Meriah as she was dragged by her hand.

“I heard that you’re good at surf boarding! I want you to teach me!” Meriah said excitedly.

Ilesha thought that was odd, considering Meriah had never shown any interest in it before, but Ilesha let herself be distracted as she grabbed a board. Meriah skipped behind her, skidding to a stop when they reached the water. They started to wade into it carefully, Ilesha not wanting to go too deep before she helped Meriah up.

A few minutes later, Ilesha was still in the water, trying to instruct Meriah on how to start, but Meriah just sighed and shook her head.

“Illy, just get up here with me and show me! Come on, you could use some fun anyways!” Meriah grinned as Ilesha smiled just a bit, her hair shifting to brown as she climbed up on the board behind her.

-

Crystal and Lavey had been watching Ilesha from the moment she had walked out of the house, and their eyes were glued to her as she started to surf. Meriah was clinging to her leg and grinning like a fool. Ilesha glanced back at her and laughed, shaking her head. Her hair blew in the wind, and they watched as it shifted to a lighter shade of brown, nearing blond.

They both sighed, watching her with a mixture of fondness and pain as she threw her head back to laugh at something Meriah had said. She reached down and ruffled Meriah’s hair, her own finally turning blond once more.

Meanwhile, a few more boards got onto the water. It seemed that several people didn’t want to let themselves get shown up, and they were going to prove that Ilesha wasn’t the only one that could surf.

Adolpha was the first out on the water, and she sent a wink to Romelle before she was off. Romelle was watching her intently, laying on her stomach with her head propped up on her arms with a smirk.

Saffron and Kesey were also on the water, and Kesey glanced toward the beach, trying to see if Aella was watching. Aella glanced over after Yvenne pointed toward the water, and she waved enthusiastically at Kesey before she turned back to Yvenne and started to continue her rant.

Kesey scowled, causing Saffron to laugh. Kesey kicked water at her, and Saffron shrieked, holding her hands up and trying to cover her face.

Zohra scowled as she watched Kesey starting to surf, rolling her eyes at the other girl.

-

Romy took off at a sprint. If she could get far enough from Jin, she could get a few minutes in the water, which would be enough to get her through the rest of this vacation without getting herself killed…

Again.

“ROMY, GET BACK HERE!” Jin screamed, racing after her.

Romy relied on her small form to help her escape the giant, and she darted in between pillars from the house and the umbrellas that people had set up, hoping that she could lose Jin along the way. She glanced over toward the water for just a moment, her eyes widening in shock.

Saffron had her arms in the air as she cheered, a wide grin on her face as she started to taunt Kesey about something she had done.

Saffron was, understandably, a distracting sight to Romy. If someone had asked, she would have blamed not herself, nor Saffron, but the person who had designed the swimsuit she was wearing.

Truly, it wasn’t Romy’s fault. At least, that’s what she would tell herself later, when she could see straight, that is.

Jin glanced toward the water, her eyes widening when she took in Saffron, but she was brought back to the current situation when she heard a  **_thwack_ ** in front of her.

Romy had run full force into one of the pillars in front of her.

Jin skidded to a stop in front of her, leaning down and grabbing her girlfriend around the waist gently before she lifted her into the air.

Romy groaned and Jin winced.

“Are you alright?” Jin asked gently.

Romy moved a bit in her arm before she winced.

“I just ran full force into a pillar. Do you think I’m alright?!”

Jin jumped.

“Right! Sorry!”

Jin took off at a sprint, searching for Yvenne.

-

Zohra rolled her eyes as Kesey yelled something back at her sister. Zohra glanced over at Ilesha for a moment, a concerned look on her face.

She’d never seen Ilesha’s hair that shade of black before, and she didn’t know whether she should talk to her about it or give her space.

Either way, she was going to start throwing some serious insults toward Crystal and Lavey… whether it was to avenge her sister or make herself feel better was anyone’s guess.

At least it was yellow at the moment, and she was thankful that Meriah seemed to be making her happier right now.

She glanced back to the side, intending to try to get Aella’s attention, but she was distracted as her gaze landed on Kesey.

Kesey was hanging onto her board with one foot, balancing on it perfectly as she sent a smirk toward Saffron.

Saffron said something about her cheating, and Kesey stuck her tongue out at her sister.

She was soaked from Saffron having dunked her into the water earlier, and she shook her head a bit before she ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her face.

Zohra found herself staring, and her face flushed.

Kesey glanced over, and Zohra tore her eyes away.

-

Yvenne found herself staring at Saffron as she surfed, shaking her head in wonder. She hadn’t thought some of the stuff she was doing was physically  _ possible _ for someone to do, and she found her gaze following the other girl.

“-and then there’s Rae, and she’s really sweet, but she’s also really touchy and stuff and it makes me kind of awk-”

Aella cut off when she saw Yvenne wasn’t paying attention, and she followed her gaze to Saffron.

She leaned a bit closer until she was right next to Yvenne’s face.

“I thought straight girls weren’t supposed to stare at girls in their swimsuits,” Aella said playfully.

Yvenne jumped, her eyes widening as her face turned red.

“W-I wasn’t! I was just-”

Before Yvenne could properly defend herself, she was cut off.

“YVENNE!” Jin cried, skidding to a stop in front of her and holding out Romy.

“What’s wrong?!” Yvenne asked, shooting to her feet.

“She was running, an-”

“SHE WAS RUNNING?!” Yvenne shouted.

“I didn’t finish! She was running, and then she ran right into a pillar.”

“Again?!” Aella hissed.

“What?!” Yvenne cried, glancing at Aella.

“Yes, again!”

“Was she distracted by Saffron again?” Aella asked, trying to stop herself from laughing.

“I think so,” Jin said, shaking her head as she stared down at Romy.

Yvenne started to take a look at the small girl, shaking her head.

What was wrong with this group?!


	22. Flop

“Been missin’ ya. You comin’ back after that trip a yours?” Hunter asked.

“I’m thinkin’ about it,” Yvenne said, shrugging. “Thought I might go back to see my friends.”

Hunter frowned.

“Aw, come on, darlin’, can’t you at least come back for a visit?”

Yvenne forced a smile.

“Yeah, maybe, I’ll have to think about it. I miss you too-”

Before she could finish, the door to the room slammed open.

“Hey, Yvenne!” Aella said excitedly, floating to the ground as the wind died down around her.

Yvenne jumped, almost dropping her scroll in the process.

“Hey, Aella,” she replied, giving her a small smile. She barely looked at her scroll and Aella hurried over, putting her hand on Yvenne’s shoulder. “What’s up?”

“A bunch of us were going to go hiking, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with us!” Aella said.

Yvenne smiled, glancing at her scroll for just a moment.

“Yeah, sounds fun. Just need to say goodbye real quick.”

Yvenne waited for Aella to hurry out of the room, like she usually did, but Aella grinned and glanced down.

“Oh! Who are you talking to?”

Yvenne rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“My boyfriend.”

“No way, he’s real?!” Aella cried in disbelief, falling onto the bed beside Yvenne.

Yvenne guessed that meant that there was no way she was going to get off of this call without having to introduce Hunter to Aella.

“He  _ is _ real!” Aella cried when she saw him on Yvenne’s scroll. She waved excitedly. “Hi! Nice to meet you, I’m Aella!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, darlin’. I’m Hunter.”

Aella gasped.

“I love your accent!” Aella cried, leaning closer to Yvenne to get a better look at him.

Hunter was tall, about four inches taller than Aella herself, with short red hair and vibrant green eyes. He was wearing a light brown jacket and a cowboy hat, which he tipped toward Aella when he greeted her.

“How’d you two meet?” Aella asked.

“We grew up together, same small town,” Hunter said, “but Vennie’s been out of town most a the year goin’ to school.”

“Aww, he calls you Vennie?!” Aella said, wrapping her arm around Yvenne’s shoulders with a grin. Yvenne glanced over at her, eyes darting to Aella’s arm.

“Uh, yeah, sometimes,” Yvenne said slowly.

“She doesn’t really like pet names,” Hunter said, shrugging with a small frown.

“Wait, Yvenne, do you have an accent too?!” Aella cried, an excited look on her face.

Yvenne flushed red.

“Nah, I don’t,” she said.

Aella gasped in excitement.

“Oh my Dust! I love it!” she cried.

Yvenne shook her head, her face still red.

“Uh, I’ll call you back, Hunter.”

“Alright, Sweetie. I can’t wait!” he said.

She waved back at him as she hung up.

Aella raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything before she dragged Yvenne to her feet and grabbed her hand.

“Come on, don’t want to be late!” Aella said, taking off into the air and causing Yvenne to make a sound of shock.

-

Cassandra was hiking up the mountain with an excited grin, bouncing up and down a bit with each step. She was an excitable other person by nature, and she found that she only calmed down when she was charging her semblance and a few other select times. Braelyn glanced over at her sister and rolled her eyes at her excitement. Cassandra shot her a small glare before bumping her shoulder. Braelyn’s eyes narrowed a bit. Cassandra had put herself between Braelyn and Raelynn without having noticed.

Braelyn bumped against her playfully again, but Cassandra was off balance when she did it, causing her to go falling to the side and bumping against Raelynn.

Raelynn stumbled and reached out to catch Cassandra. She looped both of her arms underneath Cassandra’s own, the inside of her elbows holding her up.

Cassandra immediately went limp, a lazy smile on her face as she looked up at Raelynn. Her legs were still slack and she didn’t look like she had any intent of picking herself up. She looked up at Raelynn for a minute, giving her a lazy look and a grin.

Raelynn stared at her, freezing for a moment. Cassandra slid more, and she panicked, reaching down to swoop her into her arms, holding her in a bridal carry gently.

“Is she okay?!” Raelynn asked, holding Cassandra close to her chest. Cassandra looked so small in her arms, and she lounged in her grasp calmly.

“She’s fine, you just have to put her down, she does this,” Braelyn said, watching her girlfriend closely, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Raelynn glanced at her worriedly before she looked down at Cassandra again.

“Just… slowly?”

“No, you have to drop her. She’s a Ragdoll Cat Faunus, what did you expect?” Braelyn asked.

Raelynn glanced down at Cassandra again.

“Won’t that hurt her? She isn’t doing anything… are you sure?”

“Yeah, when someone she trusts picks her up, she just… she  **_flops_ ** on them like that,” Braelyn said, shrugging.

Raelynn stared down at Cassandra for a moment, her eyes widening.

“She does?”

“Yeah, you’ve seen her do it to me loads of times,” Braelyn replied, shrugging.

“Y-yeah, right,” Raelynn said, shaking her head.

_ But she’s never done it to me before, _ Raelynn thought to herself, continuing to stare at the other girl.

“Just drop her, Rae, I swear she’ll be fine,” Braelyn said.

“Right,” Raelynn said slowly. She’d seen Braelyn shove Cassandra off of her loads of times. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t a big deal that Cassandra trusted her. Definitely not.

Raelynn started to slowly put down Cassandra, but Braelyn rolled her eyes.

“You just have to drop her, Rae,” Braelyn said impatiently, looking at the group, which was waiting for them.

“Okay…,”

Raelynn took one last look at Cassandra before she let go entirely.

Cassandra’s eyes grew sharper the moment Raelynn let go, and she spun in midair, landing on her feet gracefully.

Cassandra ran a hand through her red hair, giving Raelynn a quick grin.

“Thanks for catching me, sorry about all that.”

Raelynn gave her an awkward smile.

“Yeah, no problem.”

Cassandra started to rejoin the group, and Braelyn grabbed her hand before tugging Raelynn along too.

-

“So where are we going?” Yvenne asked, glancing to the side. She had fallen into step with Saffron-or, well, she had almost fallen into step with Saffron. For every step that Saffron took, she took two, but it was the closest she could get.

“Did Aella not tell you?” Saffron asked with a wide grin. Saffron reached forward and pushed back a few branches from a nearby tree, revealing a cliff that overlooked a steep dropoff.

Yvenne’s eyes widened, and she glanced over at Saffron.

“We’re going cliff diving.”


	23. Told You So

Yvenne’s eyes widened in disbelief and fear, scrambling backward. Saffron grabbed her around the waist to steady her, and Yvenne glanced over, looking shocked.

“Oh no way,” Yvenne hissed.

The cliff in front of her looked even more terrifying now that she knew what her newfound friends were going to do, and she looked at Saffron with horror.

“You’re  **not** doing that,” Yvenne said.

Saffron glanced back at her, giving her a wide smirk before her sunglasses tilted down, seemingly on their own.

“Trying to tell me what to do? I don’t even let Romy and Jin get away with that,” Saffron said playfully, leaning closer to bump against her.

Yvenne hesitated, her eyes widening slightly.

“B-but it’s d-”

“You’re always worried about the consequences, aren’t you?” Saffron raised an eyebrow delicately. “Why not live a little?”

Yvenne tried to find a way to respond, but Saffron was already leading her over to the cliff, the rest of the group following after them.

“I am  **not** going to jump off of that cliff,” Yvenne said, once her thoughts had cleared slightly, and Saffron scoffed.

“Aw, c’mon, Ven! It’s fun!”

“Don’t call me that, and it’s  _ decidedly not _ fun!” Yvenne snapped. “Who would be stupid enough to do that?!”

Saffron glanced over at Yvenne for a moment before they both turned.

Romelle was situated on Adolpha’s back, her arms looped around her neck and her chin resting on her shoulder.

“Charge!” Romelle cried.

Adolpha laughed before she took off at full speed, holding her girlfriend by the legs before she took a flying leap over the edge of the cliff.

Auburn scurried over to watch the pair, his gaze calculating. Romelle pushed off of Adolpha, shoving herself in front of her as they fell before she grabbed Adolpha’s face in her hands. She leaned forward and kissed her just before they hit the water.

Auburn, up on top of the cliff, had on a big grin as he turned to the rest of them.

“That was great! Ten out of ten!” he cried.

Yvenne was gaping in absolute disbelief, causing Saffron to snicker.

“What? You scared?” Saffron asked.

“Around you guys? Always,” Yvenne replied.

“Shouldn’t you be saying  _ y’all, _ Yvenne?” Aella asked, grinning.

Yvenne turned to glare at her, face flushing pink.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Saffron questioned, raising an eyebrow as she smirked.

“Yvenne here,” Aella seemed far too proud of herself, “is  _ country _ .”

Saffron looked  **far** too excited, and she spun to face Yvenne, her tail wagging just a bit.

“Is that true?”

“Nah,” Yvenne lied.

She cursed in her head, eyes widening.

Why?

Why did she have to have such an  _ obvious tell _ when she lied?! Back in Vacuo, she had been the perfect poker player! No hints, no tells, but now… her damn accent was going to be the death of her.

Saffron grinned smugly at her, and Yvenne looked away while Aella snickered.

Aella was about to say something, but she was distracted when she caught sight of Abdera out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t noticed that she was watching her, but she, apparently, had been. Abdera stumbled a bit by the edge, having been looking down at it, and she was about to pitch forward, but Aella’s hand shot out, creating a gust of wind that caught Abdera.

Abdera’s eyes widened in shock as she stumbled backward, balancing herself a moment later. She looked over at Aella, who gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

Abdera flushed a light shade of red, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly before she smiled back at Aella.

Yvenne moved a bit closer to the cliff, trying to get a better look at the people who had jumped.

Without warning, Ilesha started to run forward, throwing herself into the air with a grin. She was holding Meriah in her arms, and the younger girl had an excited smile as she clung to Ilesha like a baby koala.

“Now!” Ilesha cried.

Aella laughed and held out her hand, giving the two of them a gust of wind to shoot them farther forward.

Yvenne, who had barely gained her balance back after Ilesha had scared her, was sent tumbling over the side with a strangled cry.

Saffron spun away from Jin, her eyes going wide as she watched Yvenne start to fall.

Yvenne’s eyes were wide and panicked, her arm outstretched as if in a desperate attempt to try to grab onto the cliffside as she fell backward.

Saffron didn’t hesitate before she threw herself off of the cliff, diving after Yvenne.

Yvenne didn’t seem to have  _ any _ landing strategy whatsoever, but Saffron was able to dive through the air with ease, grabbing onto Yvenne and turning them just before they hit the water, letting her back absorb the blow.

Auburn, who had been watching, spun around.

“Ten out of ten!” he shouted.

Saffron, meanwhile, kicked toward the surface, holding Yvenne up to make sure she could breathe.

Yvenne glanced over at Saffron, who sighed, running a hand through her hair before shaking her head, splashing a bit of water to the side. Saffron rolled her shoulders and glanced up to make sure that nobody else was going to dive off the cliff while they were down there.

When she was sure that they were alright, she turned back to Yvenne with a small smirk.

“You alright?” she asked.

Yvenne nodded wordlessly, and Saffron groaned.

“Can’t believe I decided that falling on my  **back** of all things was a good idea.”

Yvenne glanced at her for a moment before she started to laugh, shaking her head.

Yvenne was about to pull away and start to swim toward the shore, but Saffron just hefted her up higher before she started to take her over to the beach. Yvenne fell silent, but Saffron didn’t seem to notice as she idly chatted with her.

Meanwhile, Romy stole a glance at the cliff from behind a tree. She hadn’t been allowed to join the group in the cliff diving, considering everyone was so worried about her, but she had decided to sneak out anyway. She glanced around for a moment before she burst out of the tree lines.

She sprinted past Jin, who spun around with wide eyes. Was…

Was that Romy?!

Did Romy just sprint by her at full speed?

No, that had to be Romelle, because Romy was back at the house, and she wouldn’t have snu-

Romelle had already jumped.

Romelle had jumped off and kissed Adolpha in midair.

That was Romy that had just sprinted past her.

Jin spun around quickly, taking off as fast as she could after her girlfriend.

Romy let out a cheer of excitement before she leapt off of the cliff, spinning in midair so that she could look back at Jin, who had jumped after her.

Romy was falling backward, and she gave Jin a fond look before she blew her girlfriend a kiss. Romy was about to spin around and get ready to hit the water, but she supposed that she had miscalculated the height of the cliff earlier, and she hit the water with her back.

The world went black for just a moment before she found that she was slowly starting to sink down into the water. She thought about swimming back up, but the idea made her back  _ ache, _ almost as if it was trying to tell her “bitch, no.”

She was about to move, but she caught sight of Jin swimming toward her. She relaxed, letting herself close her eyes.

One of her girlfriends had saved her life once, she could count on them to do it again, right?

The arms that grabbed her by the waist told her that she  _ could _ try them to repeat the miracle, and she was tugged to the surface.

Jin looked panicked when Romy opened her eyes, and she looked like she was about to start screaming.

Jin saw Romy’s eyes open, and she let out a sigh of relief, tears in her eyes.

Jin pushed Romy’s hair out of her face, sighing shakily again.

“Are you alright?” she whispered.

“No,” Romy said, her voice barely more than a wheeze as she winced.

Even talking hurt, and Jin looked terrified as she stared at her girlfriend.

“Okay, this might hurt, but you need CPR, an-”

“I don’t need CPR!” Romy cried, internally wincing as her back flared with pain. “Please don’t hurt me.”

Jin’s eyes widened.

“Wh-I’d never-”

Romy winced as Jin shifted her a bit, and Jin shook her head.

“Right. Get her back to the shore,” she muttered to herself, trying to swim over as slowly and gently as she could while Romy winced all the way.

Saffron jumped up, sprinting across the beach. Yvenne was right behind her, and Saffron grabbed her by the hand to pull her along faster.

Saffron glanced around for a moment before she saw that there was a piece of Dust in Romelle’s pocket. She tugged on it, and Romelle was pulled backward a bit, crying out in shock. Adolpha grabbed her around the waist to steady her, and Romelle spun to glare at Saffron, only to freeze when she saw what was happening.

Romelle had been… rather preoccupied with Adolpha when Romy had jumped, so she hadn’t seen a thing, but the look on Saffron’s face was more than enough to let her know that something was wrong.

She raced after her, eyes locking on her sister with dread.

The Dust that Saffron had summoned dropped to the beach, discarded as she leapt into the water, dragging Yvenne behind her.

Jin stood up a few feet away, finally able to touch the bottom without causing Romy to dip underneath the water.

Saffron looked at Yvenne desperately as she helped Jin take their girlfriend to one of the lounge chairs, setting her gingerly on her stomach.

Romy still groaned in pain, and Yvenne sat down quickly, starting to gently poke her back experimentally.

Romy cried out, and Yvenne tapped her foot after a moment, making Romy grimace.

“Well, there’s some good news, and, obviously, there’s some shit news,” Yvenne said.

“What?” Jin and Saffron asked at the same time, though their eyes were trained on Romy.

“She’s not paralyzed,” Yvenne said, “bu-”

“THAT WAS AN OPTION?!” Jin shouted.

Yvenne stared at her for a long moment, and the look in her eyes could only be described as dead inside.

“Yes, Jin. That’s typically what happens to someone when they hit the water from almost a hundred feet!” Yvenne hissed. “So yeah, that was an option! But, on the shit side, she’s going to be functionally immobile for the next few days, because… imagine that you had a sunburn on a sunburn on a sunburn that bruised.”

Saffron and Jin stared in shock.

“And then multiply that by three.”

They all stared at Romy, but Romy just let out a pitiful groan.

-

Kesey was getting ready for her turn to jump. Auburn, with the help of Clover, had organized a line of people to jump, and she was standing by the edge impatiently. Zohra was a few places in front of her, and she was also right behind Aella, which made her glare darkly.

Aella was bouncing up and down as she talked about something excitedly, and Zohra was staring at her with a fond expression. It wasn’t often that Kesey had seen Zohra look at someone like that, and it caught her off guard. Zohra’s normally cold exterior had been dropped entirely, and she was smiling a bit as she watched Aella talk, waving her hands about energetically. Kesey  _ supposed _ that she could understand why Aella would respond to Zohra’s flirting, but that didn’t mean it frustrated her any less.

Suddenly, Aella accidentally hit Akio in the face with one of her wild gestures.

Zohra burst out laughing before she started to giggle, shaking her head.

Kesey stumbled a bit as she went to take a step forward, letting out a sound of shock.

Zohra spun immediately, somehow having heard her cry over everyone else as they talked. Aella didn’t seem to have noticed, but Zohra took off at a sprint as Kesey toppled off of the cliff backward, trying to grab onto something,  _ anything, _ to stop herself from falling.

As it turns out, steep cliffs weren’t exactly designed to be grabbed onto when someone was falling, and Kesey tumbled down. Zohra leapt off of the cliff behind her, reaching one hand down toward her while she tried to keep her body as aerodynamic as possible.

Kesey reacted without thinking, grabbing onto Zohra’s hand.

Zohra pulled her closer and tried to get into a good position to hit the water.

Kesey, on the other hand, had grabbed onto Zohra, her semblance flared, and she was trying to look for the edge of the cliff, wanting to grab onto something.

She didn’t find anything, and the two of them hit the water a few moments later. Zohra kicks to stay afloat, but it was rather difficult when Kesey was clinging to her and dragging her down.

It took Kesey a few moments to realize what was going on, and she flushed a dark shade of red.

“You can let go now,” Kesey muttered, looking away with a scowl.

Zohra tried to pull away.

“No, I can’t.”

Kesey finally glanced at her.

“What?”

“Your semblance, you’re still holding onto me,” Zohra found herself smirking. “You can let go now.”

Kesey glared back at her, trying to pull away, but her panic from earlier caused her semblance to stay flared.

Zohra stopped smirking after a moment, and she tried to move her hand up, but realized that Kesey was still clinging to it, holding it in place. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Kesey’s.

“Hey, it’s alright, just relax. You’re alright.”

Kesey tried to do as she said, but found that her heart was still pounding in her chest.

Finally, Kesey closed her eyes to stop herself from having to stare into Zohra’s eyes. She took a few deep breaths, and her semblance deactivated, letting the two pull apart.

“See?” Zohra gave her a small smirk. “I told you so.”


	24. Second Chances

Crystal and Lavey glanced between each other nervously. They had already discussed this beforehand, but the conversation had been filled with several arguments and snide comments about whose fault it was that this entire situation was happening.

They were both waiting for Ilesha to come out of the building, and they quietly whispered about how they were going to approach her. They wanted to ask her out again, to try to repair what they had broken, but they needed to work together for the next few hours to get the plan to work. Neither of them were too sure how well that was going to work, but they were determined to do their best.

Ilesha was worth all of that and more, and the two of them were going to do whatever it took to get her back.

They’d won her over once, and they could do it again.

Right?

Ilesha suddenly walked out of the house, her arm wrapped around Akio’s shoulders as the two talked. Her hair wasn’t quite black anymore, and it was an almost tentative shade of brown. She was smiling now, and she was leaning closer to Akio.

Crystal and Lavey both hurried over, skidding to a stop in front of Ilesha. Ilesha looked over, seeming mildly surprised.

Her hair turned back to black, but she still had a wide grin on her face… though her eyes weren’t matching the expression.

“Hey, guys,” she said, pulling Akio a little bit closer to herself as if expecting for him to provide some sort of defense for her. “You enjoying the beach? It’s a lovely day out. Great weather.”

“Uh, yeah, it’s nice,” Crystal said, though she cringed internally. They were talking about the weather? Really? That’s where they were at conversation wise? No, no, don’t quit now, they had a plan.

“We actually wanted to talk to you,” Lavey said, glancing at Crystal and sending her the smallest of glares. She had  _ told _ Crystal to not let Ilesha get them off topic.

Crystal glared back for just a second, Lavey to know that they can’t focus too much on what  _ they _ wanted. That’s what had gotten them into this mess, right? That and Lavey being a little asshole.

Akio pulled Ilesha closer, glaring at his sisters and moving forward, as if he was going to drag Ilesha off with him.

Ilesha planted her feet and looked over at Akio for just a moment before she shook her head.

He glanced at his sisters before looking back at her, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if she was sure.

Ilesha nodded, and he took a few steps back, giving them some space.

Crystal and Lavey shared a look for a moment, looking as if they were excited to have even gotten this far. To be fair, they had been rather worried that whoever was with Ilesha was going to ruin all of their attempts to be alone with their ex…

Right, their ex… but they were going to fix that today, no problem!

“So, what did you two want to talk about?” Ilesha asked. “Did you see the professional tournament last night? Team IVRY dominated!”

They both looked at each other, and they could tell that Ilesha was trying  _ very _ hard to keep the conversation light… to act like nothing had happened.

But that was the exact opposite of what they were trying to accomplish.

“Actually,” Crystal started gently, “we wanted to talk about… what happened.”

Ilesha hesitated, her smile dropping some.

“Oh. Right… what about?” Ilesha asked. She glanced over their heads, almost as if she was hoping that there would be some sort of distraction.

Lavey scrambled to make sure they had the chance to say what they wanted to say.

“We wanted to… we wanted to apologize. For everything. You know, we were too focused on what we wanted that we sort of forgot how our arguing might have affected you,” Lavey said.

Crystal was nodding enthusiastically, and Ilesha hesitated for a moment, her hair turning to a light shade of brown at the words. She didn’t want it to, but it caused her exes to grin and glance at each in excitement.

“We wanted to say that… if you were willing to give us a second chance, we’d… we’d change. Make sure that we didn’t argue and everything… because we’d rather have to share you with each other rather than not have you at all,” Crystal added.

Lavey nodded this time, giving Ilesha a shy smile.

Ilesha couldn’t stop her hair from turning to a dirty blond, which caused both Crystal and Lavey to look hesitantly hopeful, Crystal’s tail even shooting up and almost starting to wag.

“I…,” Ilesha took a deep breath and let herself smile just a bit. “I think I’d really like that,” both of them looked like they were about to cheer in excitement, but Ilesha kept speaking, “but for the first date… can we have single dates? Just so I can see one of you at a time and talk through things?”

There it was.

The question was in front of them, and all they had to do was show her how they would respond.

Ilesha was trying not to get her hopes up, and yet, she couldn’t help but get a little excited.

Both Crystal and Lavey slowly nodded at the request, and Ilesha tried to keep smiling. It was difficult, but she tried to keep a little bit of faith in them.

They had said that they would change, right? That meant something, didn’t it? That meant that they were going to try to be better.

“So… who wants to go with me to the first one? Maybe we can go tonight, see the stars again?”

“I can!” they both said at the same time.

Ilesha’s heart stopped.

Crystal and Lavey looked at each other, both glaring.

“What?!” they both hissed at each other, acting as if Ilesha wasn’t there. “Why you?!”

“Because this is obviously your fault!” Crystal snapped.

“My fault?!” Lavey replied just as angrily. “You’d probably just screw it up if you went out with her first.”

“ME?!” Crystal shrieked.

Ilesha’s hair had turned back to black, and she looked away from the two of them.

“Actually, you know what? I’m… I’m actually kind of busy tonight. Akio and I were… we were going to go do something, thought maybe Rosemary, Clove, and Meriah might join in,” Ilesha gave them both a forced smile, “so… I think it’d just all be better if we all just forgot…”

Crystal and Lavey spun, their eyes were wide with shock and fear, staring at Ilesha in disbelief.

“F-forget what?” Crystal asked, recovering first.

Ilesha stumbled over her thoughts for a moment before she was able to move. She gestured at herself before pointing at them.

“All… all of this, I mean.”

Crystal and Lavey seemed to be in too much of a stupor to respond, so Ilesha gave them both a small smile before she started to turn away.

“I’ve… I’ve got to go. Have… have a nice day.”

Crystal and Lavey both reached out with their hands, as if they were hoping to grab onto her arms, but Akio sidestepped in front of them, giving them a small glare.

Meriah hurried outside, looking between her siblings and Ilesha before she darted forward and grabbed Ilesha by the hand.

“Hey, Illy, you want to go surfing again?!” Meriah asked, though she was already dragging Ilesha off, heedless of any response she might have given.

Akio, meanwhile, was glaring down at his sisters.

“Do you realize what you just did?!”

Neither responded, too busy staring at Ilesha in shock and dismay.

“You messed this up the first time,  _ very badly,  _ I might add, and then she’s  _ willing to give you a second chance that you  _ **_do not deserve_ ** , and what do you do? You fuck it up! You did it once, and I should have known you’d do it again. But you know what the worst part of that was?” they both finally looked at their brother, both on the edge of tears. “You didn’t just hurt yourselves, hurt her. You gave Ilesha the slightest bit of hope that things could be different, that you could be better, and then showed her that you’re still the same damn gremlins that you were before. Do you know what that did to her? First, you make her sit by as you bicker and bitch at each other like children, all while she begs you to stop, but you can’t, can you? And then when you finally have a second chance, a chance where everything could have been forgiven and forgotten, and what do you do? You mess it up too. And you know why?”

Crystal and Lavey were staring at him still, and Akio scoffed, running a hand through his hair.

“Because nothing can ever be about Ilesha. It’s _always,_ ** _always_** been about you two, hasn’t it?

Crystal and Lavey had both started to cry a bit, and Lavey wiped her face.

“We were trying to fix it,” she defended.

“You want to fix it?” Akio asked.

They both nodded.

“Then leave her alone. She might be in pain right now, but it’ll fade. And by the end, she’ll be happier. You know why?”

Neither responded, both staring at the ground.

“Because no matter how much pain she goes through in the next few months, she’s still better off without you.”


	25. Matricide

Zohra glanced around the hall for a moment before she turned to face Kesey, scowling at her.

“I know you have this delusion that you’re somehow going to ‘seduce’ Aella, but that is  **not** going to happen, alright?” Zohra said, shoving Kesey’s shoulder just a bit.

Kesey kept herself in place with her semblance, causing Zohra to accidentally move closer.

“Good, because that’s not the plan,” Kesey smirked and leaned closer, her face coming far too close to Zohra’s for her comfort.

“Finally decided to admit defeat, I see?” Zohra taunted, though she couldn’t help but glance at Kesey’s face, wondering why the girl had to be so close.

“Nope!” Kesey popped the p in the word, smirking at Zohra and invading her personal space even further. Zohra wanted to pull away, but she cannot. “I’ve actually got some loftier goals. One girl,” Kesey reached her hand up, dragging it along Zohra’s arm slowly, “just isn’t enough for me.”

Zohra hesitated, her eyes widening as her face turned red.

“I must say, I’m not interested,” Zohra said, though she almost stuttered out the words.

“Wasn’t talking about you, though I applaud the confidence,” Kesey smirked, “I was  _ actually _ referring to Abdera Valkyrie,” Kesey held her hand way above her head, “about this tall, adorable, kind of ditsy. You might know her.”

Zohra’s eyes narrowed and she glared at Kesey, shoving herself away, knowing that Kesey wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t you dare,” she growled.

Kesey tried to put on an innocent look.

“Why?” Kesey tapped her lip. “Oh? Oh, I see.  _ You _ like her, don’t you?” Kesey leaned closer again. “Well I guess we’ll just have to see who’s more persuasive. And trust me, I have a  _ lot _ of experience in that.”

Kesey then reached up and poked Zohra’s nose.

“Boop!”

Kesey then took off down the hall with a sly smirk on her face.

Zohra flushed red and glared at her retreating figure.

-

Romy glanced around at the people in the room, finding that Yvenne, Saffron, and Jin were serious about keeping her in the bed for the rest of the day, or… maybe even  _ multiple _ days.

“Guys, I’m fine,” Romy said. “How about we go do something?”

“If you can sit up on your own, then we can go get ice cream,” Yvenne said, crossing her arms.

Romy hesitated, looking like she was considering it, but Saffron and Jin hurried over, eyes wide with fear.

Yvenne shook her head.

“No, no, let her try. We need her to finally give in.”

“That’s not happening, Yvenne,” Jin said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, you’ve clearly never met anyone in this group before, Yvenne,” Saffron said with a small laugh, shaking her head. “You’ll get used to it.”

Romy was still trying to sit up, and Yvenne groaned.

“Never mind, never mind, this is hopeless. We’ll just have to watch her for the rest of the week.”

“You could leave me alone. Wouldn’t want you missing any of the fun.”

“How stupid do you think I am?” Yvenne asked, her eyes narrowing. “Listen, missy, I’m  _ not _ your girlfriend, I’m a healthcare professional, which means I just have to care about your health and safety, but I don’t have to care about your general happiness and self esteem.”

All three of them stared at her, and Yvenne smiled just a bit at them trying to show just how little she cared.

“Alright. Now, how are we going to make sure that we don’t let her leave?” Yvenne asked.

-

Zohra was walking through the hallway without a care in the world. She was glad that Ilesha had finally given up on her exes, getting a clean breakup, and she knew that it was difficult for her sister, but she was glad that she was finally moving on. Crystal and Lavey hadn’t been good enough for her anyways. Ilesha could find some better girls that wouldn’t be too jealous and possessive to let the relationship work.

She wasn’t even thinking about Kesey at the moment, but that would change moments later.

Kesey was clinging to the ceiling with her knees and hands planted to it, and she had been waiting for Zohra to walk by, knowing that she would be heading to dinner.

When she finally saw her, she let go with her legs, hanging with just the tips of her fingers, before she dropped down entirely, landing right in front of Zohra and grabbing onto her.

She shoved her over to the wall, leaning in front of her menacingly.

“I’m telling you, you might as well give up, they’re  _ mine _ ,” Kesey said tauntingly.

“Then why are you here intimidating me?” Zohra asked, calming, though her face was a bit red from Kesey leaning down so close.

Kesey hesitated, tearing her gaze away from Zohra’s eyes. Somehow she got slightly disoriented when she looked into those.

“I  _ said _ why are you trying to intimidate me if they’re going to be yours?” Zohra asked. “If you’re that confident, then you wouldn’t worry about intimidating me.”

Kesey felt her face flush red.

“Unless there’s  _ another _ reason that you’re cornering me in a hallway where nobody can see,” Zohra said, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk.

“That’s,” Kesey’s face was still on fire, “not what I’m-”

Zohra leaned closer, smirking wider, and Kesey fell silent, forced to look her in the eyes.

“Thought you said that you weren’t interested.”

“I’m no-”

Zohra brushed past her and laughed quietly.

“Of course, of course,” Zohra looked over her shoulder with a playful look on her face, “because that would be  _ absurd, _ wouldn’t it?”

Kesey was silent as she watched Zohra laugh before she turned around.

Well.

That was  _ not _ how she wanted that interaction to go.

-

There was a knock on the door and Yvenne hurried over to open the door.

Aella spun around dramatically, grinning.

“You rang?” Aella asked.

Yvenne stared at her for a long moment.

“This is it? This is the best we could do?” Yvenne asked, turning to look over her shoulder at Jin and Saffron.

“I-” Aella hesitated, her eyes losing their light of excitement. “I can get you Cooper, he’s really good with mechanics and stuff, I’m sure he c-”

“Yes, this is the absolute we could do, because it’s the best in the world, now chop chop, Aella, we have a gremlin to tie up.”

Yvenne watched Aella dubiously, but Aella raced in with a grin and gave Saffron an appreciative look.

“Wait, what’s happening?!” Romy cried, squirming a bit.

“Hold her down!” Aella called.

“I don’t really think we have to, she’s kind of incapacitated right now,” Yvenne said, shrugging.

“Even better! Okay, so it’s just like…,” Aella started to mutter to herself as she gently lifted herself into the air, reaching into her cloak and pulling out a few nails, grabbing a hammer from the other side.

Yvenne stared in shock.

“Wh-she just has those?!” Yvenne cried.

Aella glanced down and frowned.

“What kind of woman doesn’t have tools?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Jin smirked and glanced over at Saffron.

“Pretty sure Raelynn and Braelyn don’t,” Jin said.

Aella hesitated just before she was about to swing her hammer.

“Well, I suppose there can be exceptions… but they should have their own tools, really. You never know when you might need to fix something.”

“Yeah, but that’s why they have you,” Saffron said, leaning back against the wall and propping her foot against it.

Aella thought for a moment, smiling just a bit before it fell.

“Yeah, but they don’t have me all the time. What if they move in together and need to fix something and I’m not there?”

“I’m sure you will be,” Saffron said.

Jin smacked her arm.

Aella frowned before she smiled a bit.

“Who knows!”

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to stare at Aella in disbelief.

Did she… did she really just catch onto what they were saying?

“They’re really friendly, so they might invite me over and I can help then!”

Of course she didn’t, because she was Aella.

-

Zohra was headed toward the room that Jin, Saffron, and Romy were staying in. She had heard that Aella was going to be working on something in there, and she definitely wanted to get a look at that, especially if she could flirt with her some while she was doing it.

It seemed like she wasn’t the only one that had that idea, considering Kesey bumped into her just as she was about to enter the room.

She scowled at the other girl and they both glared for a long moment before they glanced at the doorknob, where their hands were resting on top of each other.

Zohra and Kesey both looked back at each other, and silence coated the air thickly, seeming to suffocate any potential sound before it could be made.

Zohra and Kesey were silent for a moment before both of their eyes widened in disbelief, panic flooding them.

_ No way. There is  _ **_no damn way_ ** _ that I fell for her, _ Kesey thought, immobilized as her thoughts raced.  _ Come on, Kes. What did you hate about her? She’s uptight, she’s bossy, she’s rude, and… when she gets angry, she does this cute little thing where she scrunches her nose up- _

Kesey choked on air, starting to cough as her face turned bright red.

Meanwhile, Zohra seemed to be having a very similar train of thought.

_ Oh Dust, _ Zohra pleaded,  _ please, please,  _ **_please_ ** _! Literally  _ **_anyone_ ** _ but her! She’s rude, brash, annoying, pompous, and probably the most frustrating person on the planet. But… she’s so cute when she’s smug. Dust, I can’t believe I just thought that about  _ **_Kesey_ ** _ of all people! What’s wrong with me?! _

Zohra blushed darkly and pulled away, both of them immediately forgetting about their plan to see Aella as they darted away from each other with fearful expressions, the same thoughts cycling through their heads.

It seemed they had both developed  **very** inconvenient crushes on each other.

-

“You are  **not** putting me in that thing!” Romy cried, trying to wiggle off of the bed, but she gasped in pain as her back moved.

“It has the best structural support for you, and it’ll make sure you don’t fall out and hit the ground,” Aella said.

“It’s embarrassing!” Romy hissed.

“It’s safe!” Aella replied. “Saffron and Jin, if you would do the honors?”

Saffron pulled down on the structure that Aella had built and Jin put her in it.

Aella grinned as they let the makeshift hammock go, causing it to sway from side to side. Aella then lifted herself into the air, humming as she looped the rope around the hammock, holding Romy in place.

“See?! It works perfectly! It’s kind of like those little baby holder thingies!”

“Do you mean strollers?” Yvenne asked.

“Yes! Those things!” Aella said, pointing at her in excitement.

Yvenne rolled her eyes, but she seemed pretty happy with the work Aella had done, so she let it slide without further comment.

“I hate you all,” Romy growled.

“See? Just like a stroller! Complete with the angry baby!” Aella cried.

“What do you think a stroller consists of, Aella?” Jin asked.

Aella gestured vaguely at the hammock before she shrugged.

-

Zohra took a deep breath.

Alright.

She could ignore this. She could ignore the weird, slightly concerning and confusing, feelings that she  _ sometimes _ got around Kesey. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, and she could proceed like nothing had changed.

So, she decided to do just that. A good self pep talk could do wonders for the lesbian in denial, she found.

She finally rounded the corner, grabbing onto Kesey’s arm and immediately going to shove her against a wall.

_ Alright. Just like you rehearsed. Come on. _

“I’m telling you, we’re going to get them,” Zohra said.

Kesey’s eyes widened, and Zohra’s face flushed immediately when she realized what she had said.

“What did you just say?” Kesey asked slowly.

Zohra stumbled as she blushed deeper.

“No-I,” Zohra took a breath, “I meant Abdera and I. W-we’re going to get them, not… not you and I, because that would be…”

Kesey took a calming breath before she reached down to put one hand on Zohra’s waist, turning on her semblance. She pushed off the wall, flipping their positions.

“Absurd?”

Zohra was too shocked by the situation to say anything, and Kesey had to remind herself that she was committed this time. She  **had** to tell Zohra.

“Good thing this group is as crazy as it gets,” she whispered.

Kesey then leaned forward and connected their lips.

Zohra was shocked, her eyes widening as she stared at Kesey’s, which fluttered shut.

Zohra’s brain almost stopped working, but she was present enough to pull Kesey closer, her eyes falling shut as well.

A few moments later, they pulled apart, and Zohra found herself smirking.

When she spoke, it was in a sing-song voice.

“Somebody likes me!”

Kesey flushed, glaring at her playfully.

“Yeah, well, you kissed back, so…”

“But that’s irrelevant. The important part is,” Zohra leaned a bit closer with an excited look to her eyes, “I somehow insulted Kesey Velvet Alistair so much that I seduced her.”

Kesey rolled her eyes, but there was a fond look in her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, but the question is…,” Kesey flushed further and looked anywhere but at Zohra, “how did  _ her _ insults work on Zohra Rachel Ajax?”

Zohra smirked, reaching one hand to tap her lip.

“Hmm…,” Zohra finally decided to finally let her off the hook, “how about I show you?”

Zohra finally closed the distance between them, cupping Kesey’s face in one hand.

Zohra was about to pull away, but she let out a sound of shock as she was tugged back. She opened her eyes, staring at Kesey, who was a bright shade of red.

Zohra tried to move her hand off of Kesey’s face, but it was just as stuck as her lips were.

Zohra stared at Kesey, who was giving her an apologetic look and trying to pull away as well.

Zohra laughed quietly and rolled her eyes fondly. Just as Kesey was about to get her semblance to turn off, having flared when she was shocked by the kiss, there was the familiar sound of boots echoing through the hall.

Kesey’s semblance turned back on when she realized who it was, having panicked.

The boots stopped right as Coco rounded the corner, and she stared at the two of them with shock.

After a few moments of Kesey and Coco looking at one another, Coco sighed, reaching up to take off her sunglasses and rubbing her temple.

“Zohra, I thought you were better than this. Really, I did. You could have had that sweet Aella girl, but you chose,” she pointed at her daughter, “that thing? Really?”

Kesey tried to respond with “Velvet chose you,” but it came out as “Veslshte chef yosa.”

Coco snickered at that, glancing at Zohra.

“Did… did she turn on her semblance?”

Zohra nodded, making Kesey have to duck her head.

Coco burst out laughing, having to lean against the wall for support.

“So… so you decided to finally say ‘screw it, I’m kissing her,’ and the first thing that she does is just… trap you. Listen, Kes, when people say ‘lock her down,’ they usually mean propose, not trap her with your semblance.”

Kesey flushed.

“Usually when you’re suffocating someone in a relationship, you mean you’re around them too much, but you can literally do it!” Coco leaned further against the wall, wheezing at this point. “Oh, Fox is gonna love that.”

Kesey was finally able to calm down enough and turn off her semblance, though she was a bright shade of red at this point.

“Don’t you dare tell him!”

Coco was still laughing as she pushed herself up, wiping at her eyes.

“Then try to stop me,” she said, taking off down the hall.

Kesey was about to follow her, but she hesitated, glancing back at Zorha.

Zohra was leaned over, hands on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath while she laughed, shaking her head.

Kesey blushed and laughed awkwardly.

“Uh, sorry about… that.”

“Worth it,” Zohra gave her a smirk before she waved. “Now go and catch her. Kill your mother or something, I don’t care, just let me breathe.”

Kesey laughed before she raced down the hall, trying to hunt down Coco.


	26. Volleyball

“I WILL END YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE BLOODLINE, YOU FILTH!” Saffron shouted at full volume.

Everyone hesitated at the words, glancing at her.

“JOKE’S ON YOU, THEY’RE GOING TO BE YOUR KIDS TOO!” Jin screamed.

“And here you can see Jin and Saffron performing their typical courting ritual,” Akio said into the microphone Cooper had given him.

“Truly riveting to watch,” Aella replied, nodding as she looked at the game playing out in front of them.

The group had decided that today was a  _ great _ day for volleyball, and they were currently doing what they did best: getting insanely over competitive and almost ruining relationships as they fought and bickered.

The first team was composed of Ilesha, Cooper, Saffron, Yvenne, and Braelyn. Originally, Jin was supposed to be on the team instead of Braelyn, but Braelyn had left her original team when the game was just about to start and left Raelynn on the other team without her. Raelynn was now glaring at her from the sidelines while she whistled insults at her. Braelyn was ignoring her, instead focusing on the game at hand.

Although, Braelyn wasn’t having to do much.

Cooper had grabbed Saffron immediately to join his team, inadvertently causing her to snatch onto Yvenne with a grin.

Cooper had just wanted to have Saffron on his team with Ilesha, to give his friend a win after everything, but Saffron had looped an arm around Yvenne’s waist and tugged her along.

Yvenne had made a strangled sound of shock as she looked up at Saffron, who gave her a grin.

“What’re ya doin’?” Yvenne asked, stumbling a bit.

“Come on, live a little!” Saffron said. “Also, I  _ love _ the accent.”

Yvenne had flushed and glared at the other girl before looking away.

Ilesha, for the most part, seemed to be having a good time. Crystal and Lavey hadn’t wanted to join, and Ilesha seemed to be having a good time. Her hair had even turned a dark shade of yellow as they played.

The second team was made up of Kesey, Zohra, Raelynn, Cassandra, and Arlen.

Raelynn seemed rather upset by the choice of teams, and she was looking anywhere but at Cassandra as she tried to watch the game that was going on. It was difficult, but she was determined not to look at the other girl. Zohra and Kesey, meanwhile, were sneaking small glances at each other with small smiles on their lips, though they hadn’t said anything to each other about it.

The final team was made up of Clover, Rosemary, Adolpha, Romelle, and Jin.

Jin had been shoved off of her own team by Braelyn when she had left Raelynn on her own, and she was now some sort of fifth wheel, even if there was only one relationship on the team. Clover and Rosemary were chatting with each other even as they played, letting out loud laughs that almost ruined their chance at hitting the ball.

Adolpha and Romelle, meanwhile, were flirting with each other as they played, Adolpha going so far as to pick up her girlfriend to let her hit the ball at one point.

Jin was the only one that seemed to be taking the game seriously at this point, and if only so that she could get Saffron to shut up.

Saffron had been casting taunts at the other team for the entirety of the game, and Jin was getting sick of it. She knew that her girlfriend was a competitive person, but this was getting ridiculous!

Just then, Cooper caught sight of Lavey and Crystal walking by. They glanced over at the group, hesitating when they saw that Ilesha was laughing and playing with her friends, not seeming to be thinking about the break up in the slightest. She was even leaning against Cooper in between points, giving him a wide grin as they quietly talked.

As soon as the game started again, Cooper pulled away from his teammate, sprinting forward and readying himself. As the volleyball came over the net, he leapt into the air with all of his strength, soaring up.

He was just shy of the ball, and he internally cursed, but there was suddenly a force beneath him, propelling him the last few inches. He didn’t have time to check, but he knew that Aella had given him a boost so that he could hit the volleyball.

He intended to make the most of her gift, and he spun in midair, redirecting his body entirely.

His hand smacked against the ball with all of the force he could muster. If he had been playing to win, there was no way that anyone on the other team would have been able to save it, but he wasn’t focused on scoring. Instead, he had his eyes locked on Crystal and Lavey.

The ball flew true to its destination, connecting with Lavey’s face.

Lavey let out a cry of shock before she stumbled back, hitting the ground. The ball bounced right off of her face and smacked into Crystal’s, causing her tail to poof with shock before she toppled over gracelessly.

Cooper landed back on the ground with a smug smirk on his face. He glanced back at Ilesha for a moment, seeing that she was frowning in confusion. Her hair was still almost blond, and it seemed that she hadn’t exactly seen who the ball had hit.

Cooper let out a sigh of relief before he turned back around to see the other team.

Adolpha had gone to grab the ball, and she glanced at her sisters for a moment before she turned around, not giving them any help up, and returned to the game with a wide grin.

“Hey, guys?” Cooper called. “I think that was a bit of an unfair play, mind if we restart that one?”

“Of course not,” Adolpha said.

“Definitely!” Jin agreed instantly.

“Thanks!” Cooper called.

Saffron glanced over at Cooper and gave him the smallest of smirks before she rolled her eyes.

“I would say keep your eyes on the prize,” she muttered, “but that was pretty awesome.”

Cooper gave her a laugh and shook his head before turning back to the game.

“After that stunning show from Coopy Poo, the game has been restored to the peaceful state it once was!” Aella called. She and Akio were the commentators for the tournament, as they weren’t allowed to play. Their semblances had, apparently, been deemed “too overpowered” for most sports.

The game was over in a few minutes, and Saffron was, of course, a sore winner. Yvenne was watching her with an unreadable expression, as if she was trying to figure something out.

“Come on, Yvenne, brag a little!” Saffron bumped her with her side, and Yvenne stumbled a bit, still staring at her. “You were awesome.”

Yvenne smiled shyly and finally looked away.

“Thanks, Saffron…”

-

The second match was held a few minutes later, and Jin was still glaring at her girlfriend.

The losing team, which had been made up of Adolpha, Romelle, Clover, Rosemary, and Jin, was supposed to play against the third and final team.

Zohra and Kesey were sending each other flirtatious smirks as they walked up to the field, giving each other meaningful looks. Arlen seemed as if he wanted this whole thing to be over with, especially as he glanced at his sister. He wasn’t entirely sure what Zohra was up to, but he usually knew that it wasn’t something good or something that he wanted to be a part of.

Meanwhile, Raelynn was trying to not look at Cassandra, who was glancing at her with a confused look on her face.

“Something wrong, Rae?” Cassandra asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope!” Raelynn said too quickly.

“Are you mad at me?” Cassandra continued, clearly not believing her. “I mean, I’d understand, but I would like to know what I did this time at least so I could  _ try _ to fix it in some capacity.”

Raelynn flushed and rolled her eyes, smiling just a bit.

“You didn’t do anything, Cass.”

“Was it Brae then? If it was, you know I’ll kill her for you.”

Raelynn finally looked at Cassandra, raising an eyebrow as she laughed.

“Isn’t she your sister?” Raelynn asked.

“Yeah, but you’re my Raelynn!” Cassandra replied, waving a hand dismissively.

Raelynn hesitated, staring at her for a long moment.

Cassandra frowned before her eyes widened.

“Or, you know, a Raelynn. Or at least  _ the _ Raelynn.”

Raelynn finally looked away, still smiling slightly as she watched the game start.

“And we’re off!” Aella cried excitedly.

“Yes, the game has, in fact, started,” Akio said with far less enthusiasm.

Aella bumped her brother’s shoulder, laughing.

“Kio, come on, at least  _ pretend _ to be excited!” Aella chided, rolling her eyes as she watched the game.

“Fine, fine,” Akio cleared his throat. “Oh, look at them go! Isn’t this just  _ so much fun, _ Aella?!”

His voice had risen by several octaves, and Aella looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“Fine, just go back to being rude and depressed, see if I care.”

Akio let out a huff before he leaned closer and put his head on top of Aella’s.

She thought for a second before she laughed, shoving him off.

“Come on, Kio! Stop being distracting and watch the game! ROSE! COME CONTROL YOUR BOYFRIEND!”

“Kind of busy at the moment!” Rosemary cried back, throwing herself onto the ground and just blocking the volleyball from hitting the ground. Clover leaned down and hit the ball too, causing it to go soaring over the net.

The ball flew toward Cassandra, who took a step back, getting herself ready to send it flying over. Her forearm hit the ball and sent it flying toward Arlen.

She bumped into Raelynn, who let out a sound of shock, starting to stumble back, but the moment Cassandra touched her, she went limp, falling toward the ground.

Raelynn let out a curse before she reached forward to catch the other girl, saving her from hitting the sand beneath them.

“You okay?” Raelynn asked, sounding worried.

“Little hungry I guess, but other than that, I’m pretty great,” Cassandra said lazily, her neck flopping backward so that she could look up at Raelynn with a small smile.

“I, uh…,” Raelynn seemed to forget that they were playing, and she stared down at Cassandra silently, her eyes wide.

“Rae, remember, you can just drop her!” Braelyn called loudly.

“Y-yeah, right,” Raelynn replied quickly, but she was still holding onto Cassandra.

Braelyn stared at her girlfriend.

“I said you can drop her!” Braelyn called again.

Raelynn didn’t respond this time, still looking at Cassandra, who had on a lazy smile as she looked at the other girl.

Just then, the volleyball flew toward the two of them. Raelynn didn’t seem to notice, and Braelyn cursed.

“RAELYNN, MOVE!” she shouted.

Raelynn looked up, her eyes wide, and she stumbled backward, falling onto the ground as the ball soared over their head, flying out of the field.

They hit the ground, but Raelynn didn’t seem to notice as she stared up at Cassandra. She didn’t seem to have noticed either, and she shifted just a bit to get more comfortable as she laid on top of Raelynn, heedless of the fact that everyone was now staring at them.

Finally, Kesey interrupted the moment.

“What the heck are you two doing?! Get up, come on, we have a game to win!”

Raelynn flushed a bright shade of red.

“Right, sorry!” Raelynn said, scrambling out from under Cassandra. As soon as she was gone, Cassandra flipped to her feet, acting as if the last few minutes hadn’t even happened.

Despite the small distraction, the rest of the game went off without a hitch, and they were even able to win against Jin, Adolpha, Romelle, Clover, and Rosemary.

Zohra and Kesey both cheered before they turned to each other, grinning.

Kesey stepped toward her, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

Zohra raised an eyebrow playfully before she leaned up and kissed her.

Everyone fell silent, staring at the two in absolute shock.

There were shocked looks and gasps as the two pulled apart, giving each other small smirks before they got back into position for the third and final game of the tournament.

Everyone was still watching before they broke into conversation, asking question upon question about the two to each other and the couple, but Kesey and Zohra ignored them, sending each other a suffering look as they got ready to play.

Under any other circumstance, Saffron would have been bombarding her sister with questions, but right now she was too distracted with the next game.

“Okay, you ready, Yvenne?” Saffron asked, leaning closer and giving her a wide grin.

Yvenne hesitated.

“Yeah…”

“Come on, you gotta give me more excitement than a dying bird. Say it like you mean it!” Saffron cried.

Yvenne should have thought it was annoying, but she let out a little laugh before she looked down at her lap.

“Yeah!”

“Yes! That’s it!” Saffron threw her arm around Yvenne’s shoulders and practically threw her to her feet.

Yvenne fell silent as she was dragged over to the field, and Jin glanced over at her girlfriend, frowning. What was she doing with Yvenne?

Jin had wanted to go talk to her girlfriend before the next match, but it seemed like she was distracted by… Yvenne.

Jin’s eyes narrowed as she watched the two of them, and she couldn’t help but notice that Yvenne was staring at her girlfriend with a small, shy smile on her lips. Jin let out a sigh and took her seat, crossing her arms against her chest in frustration. Adolpha took the seat next to her, and Romelle immediately sat in her lap.

Adolpha glanced over at her girlfriend, face going red as she laughed.

“Babe, can I have a minute to talk to Jin?” she asked.

Romelle seemed to think for a moment before she shook her head, leaning back and putting her head on Adolpha’s shoulder.

“Come on, aren’t I a lot more fun than that?” she asked.

Adolpha glanced at her sister with an apologetic expression on her face.

“Just a few minutes, I swear,” Adolpha said.

Romelle rolled her eyes before she pushed herself to her feet, walking off to go talk to Rosemary and Clover.

Adolpha immediately turned to Jin, giving her a small smile.

“Jealous again?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.

Jin jumped at the words, her face turning red.

“What? Of course I’m not jealous of Yvenne. She’s just a friend of Saffron’s, plus she’s got a boyfriend.”

“I never said who,” Adolpha replied, glancing at her sister with a small smirk.

Jin hesitated.

“Fine! Maybe I’m a  _ little _ bit jealous, but it’s not a big deal.”

“What’s with you and jealous?” Adolpha asked. “I mean, you love them, they love you, what do you have to be worried about here?”

Jin waited for a moment, thinking.

“Can you  _ really _ imagine Saffron ever cheating on you?”

Jin slowly shook her head, the idea seeming silly.

“See? Being worried about it is just insane, isn’t it?”

Jin nodded.

“Then why are you mad at them?”

Jin didn’t respond, and Adolpha leaned over to pat her sister on the leg consolingly.

“I almost forgot you could be smart,” Jin said playfully, glancing at Adolpha.

“So did I.”

The two started to laugh, and Romelle appeared a few minutes later, shoving Adolpha to the side of the chair before sitting next to her, curling up at her side.

Meanwhile, the game had started.

Yvenne was beside Saffron as they played.

Saffron was playing intently, not seeming to notice as she broke into a sweat, sprinting across the volleyball field. Every time she hit the ball or scored a point, she would break into a wide grin. She would even occasionally glance back at Yvenne and give her a smirk as if to say “see that, Ven?”

The game was short, considering Saffron pretty much dominated,, with the help of Ilesha, considering she couldn’t steal her thunder like she did with the rest of them. After all, this entire tournament had been to make Ilesha feel better in the first place.

Saffron let out a cheer of excitement as the game was declared over by Aella, and she sprinted back to Yvenne, who stared at her in shock.

She grabbed Yvenne around the waist before lifting her into the air and spinning in a tight circle.

Yvenne flushed red as she looked up at the other girl, who was grinning like a fool.

After a moment, Saffron let her go before running off to congratulate their other teammates.

Jin watched Saffron with a fond expression on her face before she glanced over at Adolpha, thankful for their conversation. But her gaze landed on Romelle, and she frowned.

Wait.

If Romelle was here…

Then who was watching Romy?

She took a slow breath before she spoke.

“Romelle, what’s going on with Romy?”

Romelle hesitated for a moment, drawing her gaze away from Adolpha.

“What? Why would I know that?”

“Because you were the one that was supposed to be watching her while we played!” Jin cried, finally remembering their plan. She had been so distracted by glaring at Yvenne that she’d forgotten…

Romelle’s eyes widened suddenly as a memory played through her mind.

_ / _

_ “Alright, Romy! Just you and me today, but they’ll be back in about half an hour, I guess, so just you and me for this half hour.” _

_ Romy said something, but Romelle glanced out of the window for a moment, and her eyes widened. _

_ Adolpha was getting ready for her match, and Romelle noticed that she was, of course, wearing her swimsuit, just like everyone else that was going to be competing, but Romelle didn’t care about them. All she cared about was what Adolpha was doing… and what she was wearing. A smirk grew across her lips before she turned around to look up at her sister for just a moment. _

_ “Mind if I leave you alone for just a few? Gotta go see Adolpha.” _

_ “Can it wait? I’d rather not be al-” _

_ “Thanks, bye!” Romelle called, sprinting out of the room with a wide grin on her face as she went to change. _

_ / _

“Uh…,” Romelle grimaced, “I may have… left her alone… this entire time…”

Jin stared at her for a long moment before she rolled her eyes and spun.

“Saff!” she called.

Saffron immediately turned away from Yvenne, eyes locking on her girlfriend before she sprinted over.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Romy’s been up in the room alone this whole time.”

Saffron’s eyes widened before she grabbed Jin by the hand and started to push off the ground. She hesitated a moment before she reached out one hand.

Yvenne hesitated for a moment before she flushed red and she hesitantly let her hand be grabbed by Saffron’s, lifting her into the air with ease.

Yvenne thought that was rather impressive, but then again all huntresses did that.

They burst into their room a moment later, and they were greeted by an odd sound.

“Where’s the ocean?”

“IT’S RIGHT FUCKING THERE!” Romy shrieked.

“I TOLD YOU THAT WAS A WARNING SHOT!” Meriah shouted, grabbing her water bottle and starting to aim at Romy.

Saffron darted in front of Meriah to stop her, and she glanced at the television, finding that Meriah was watching Dora the Explorer.

“Hey, sorry, we didn’t know you were alone,” Jin said gently, leaning up toward Romy.

“Just turn off the TV,” Romy pleaded.

Romelle leapt over and turned it off for her while Saffron hurried over to their girlfriend, giving her a worried look as she started to lean over the edge of the hammock.

“What happened?” Saffron asked gently.

“Well, after Romelle left…”

_ / _

_ Meriah opened the door and looked around, eyes locking on the TV. _

_ “Oh! Hey, Meriah!” Romy said, sounding excited. _

_ Meriah jumped in shock, looking up at her. _

_ “Think you can get Saffron or Jin for me?” Romy asked, shifting as much as she could in the hammock. _

_ “No, I’m busy,” Meriah said, turning on the television and immediately finding Dora the Explorer. _

_ Romy lasted five minutes. _

_ “Can you please turn that off? Or find another show?” _

_ “Shush!” Meriah hissed. She grabbed a water bottle and threw it  _ just _ underneath Romy’s hammock. _

_ Romy let out a shriek as it narrowly avoided her back. _

_ “That was a warning shot. Next time, I’m hitting you. Don’t interrupt my show.” _

_ / _

“I’m so sorry,” Saffron whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Romy’s head.

Romy just sighed and sent a glare toward Meriah, who gave her a grin before she turned to Yvenne.

“Yvenne! Oh, it’s good to see you. Seems like you and Saffron have been hanging out a bit more lately, huh?”

Yvenne hesitated, flushing a bit.

“I guess?”

Meriah smirked.

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Saffron gestured for Meriah to leave the room before she turned back to Romy, pulling her out of the hammock gently and laying on the bed, allowing Romy to lay on her stomach on top of her.

Romy smiled fondly as Jin curled up beside them too, the three of them falling asleep despite the early time.

She’d thought they had forgotten her, but… like always, she just needed a little reminder that they were really there for her.


	27. Wha-

Braelyn slammed the door open, stalking inside.

She froze immediately when she saw what team RWBY was doing.

Yang was laying with her back on the couch, Weiss laying on top of her and kissing her profusely, one hand roaming through her hair as she went to deepen the kiss-

Weiss looked up at the sound of the door, and she jumped. Somehow, in her shock and fear, she was able to flip her and Yang before she pushed with all her strength, sending her flying across the room and slamming against the wall.

Yang let out a pitiful sound of pain before she fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ruby let out a sound of shock before she started to tumble to the ground, almost falling off the bed, but Blake, who had had Ruby in her lap, shot forward, grabbing Ruby and barely keeping her on the side of the bed without falling.

Braelyn watched the scene play out with a look of horror on her face.

“Seriously?! Right now?!” she cried.

“Well,” Weiss shifted uncomfortably as her face turned bright red and she watched Yang worriedly, “we  _ were _ alone in  _ our own room _ until someone decided to interrupt.”

“Of course it was Rachel’s daughter,” Yang muttered, rubbing her head as she stumbled to her feet, “always was a special talent of hers to walk in without knocking. What do you need, kid? And, more importantly, can it wait? We’re kind of busy.”

“That’s why I need to talk to you, actually,” Braelyn said.

“Do we need to teach you about the birds and the bees? Come on, I already had to teach Alea,” Ruby said, practically whining at this point.

“That’s no-wait, you taught her what?! When was this?!” Braelyn cried, immediately distracted from her  _ very _ important mission.

“About, uh… twenty minutes before her wedding?” Yang said, glancing at her sister.

“Yeah, those two,” Ruby gestured at Blake and Weiss, “jumped out of the window when Blake heard them coming.”

“Traitors,” Yang muttered.

“Twenty minutes before her wedding?!” Braelyn cried.

“Yeah, there were…,” Ruby shuddered, “there were diagrams and everything.”

Yang nodded solemnly.

“Okay, as much as I would love to hear about how that played out-”

“Ivy just threw her at us. Slammed the door shut and locked it… it was awful,” Yang muttered, looking into the distance as if getting flashbacks.

Braelyn held back a laugh.

“Seriously, this is amazing, and I will ask for details in the  _ very _ near future, but… as much as I hate to say it, there’s something more important I have to talk to you about.”

“What?” Blake asked, sitting up.

“Actually, I wanted to ask Ruby and Yang something.”

“You did?”

“Them?” Weiss asked.

“Hey, people can want to ask us things!” Yang defended.

“So what is it?” Ruby asked.

“Well, I was wondering-”

-

“I can’t believe they have a lazy river here,” Rosemary said.

She and Akio were currently on little tubes floating through the lazy river side by side, drinking something from coconuts and laughing quietly.

“Wait, really?” Akio asked.

“Yeah! There’s another reason that Ilesha broke up with them.”

“What was it?” Akio said, scooting his tube closer to look at his girlfriend with a grin. He loved hearing her gossip. She always got so excited when she talked about it, and her tail would wag while she gestured with her hands. Akio found it undeniably adorable when he watched her, and sometimes had to get her to repeat things when he got distracted.

Rosemary gestured for him to come closer, and she leaned over until she cupped his ear with her hand.

“They’re bitches.”

Akio stared at his girlfriend for a long moment before he burst out laughing, almost falling out of his tube as they floated down the lazy river.

Rosemary was giggling, and the two of them were distracted by laughing that they didn’t notice that the split in the lazy river was coming up. They both cried out and tried to paddle their tubes to the left, but it was too late. Akio’s tube floated to the right branch and Rosemary went left.

Akio groaned for a moment before he pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked over at his girlfriend. A moment later, he teleported to her side, lounging on the tube beside her.

Rosemary scooted to the side and set her head on his shoulder with a fond smile on her face as they continued their conversation.

“So did you know that Kesey and Zohra like-”

-

Braelyn was sitting in their bedroom, facing away from the door. The room was completely dark, but that didn’t impair her vision in the slightest, considering she was a Faunus, and she didn’t seem to notice. Braelyn was too caught up with her thoughts to notice the lighting, and when she heard the door open, she spun around in her chair, putting both of her hands on one knee on top of the other.

“Hello, Raelynn.”

Raelynn hesitated in the doorway, staring at her girlfriend. Her eyes widened without a thought, and she took an unconscious step backward nervously. What was happening? Was Braelyn mad at her? She didn’t think she had done anything to upset her girlfriend, but she never knew when she would mess something up.

“H… hey, Brae.”

“Don’t ‘hey, Brae’ me,” Braelyn said, shaking her head. “We have something important to discuss.”

“Is it how you look, cause you’re pulling off that haircu-”

Braelyn rolled her eyes.

“I know about you and-”

Raelynn turned on her heel and sprinted out of the room at full speed.

“Wha-bitch did you just run away from me-”

Braelyn threw herself out of her chair before she ran off after her girlfriend.

“Get back he-”

-

Akio had grabbed another tube as they circled around, and he had anchored them together with rope before grabbing a pool noodle.

They were continuing their conversation from earlier, and Akio was grinning as he listened to Rosemary spread gossip.

“Did you hear abou-”

“There you two are!” Coco cried, skidding to a stop by the pair as they floated down the lazy river. “We’ve been looking all over for you two! Thought that something happened when we saw that tube come back without Akio in it!”

“Do you mind? I’m listening to something about Raelynn and Braelyn,” Akio said, not seeming to realize that he was talking to his girlfriend’s mother.

Coco seemed like she was going to remind him  _ why _ he couldn’t talk to her like that, but she hesitated.

“Wait, really? What’s going on with those two?” she asked, leaning down a bit as she slowly walked beside them.

“You didn’t hear?” Rosemary asked, giving her mother a grin. “They’re poly.”

“They’re WHAT?!” Coco cried, eyes wide as she stared at Rosemary.

“Yup! And,” Rosemary leaned closer conspiratorially, “I think they’re into Ae-”

-

Braelyn was racing down the halls at full speed, frantically searching for her girlfriend.

_ Come on, Rae! There’s nothing wrong with a little chat! Come on, this was what I was  _ **_supposed_ ** _ to do, and it went wrong before I even finished step one! Thanks a lot, Ruby and Yang, _ Braelyn thought bitterly, though… she had to admit that turning around in a swivel chair in a completely dark room to accost her girlfriend about something they needed to talk about was rather concerning to hear.

“RAE!” Braelyn shouted.

There was no response, and she muttered something under her breath about Raelynn avoiding responsibilities. Just then, a form popped out of the ventilation, hanging out upside down with a grin.

“Hey, Brae!” Aella said, waving at her with a grin.

Braelyn hesitated for a moment before she smiled up at her a bit fondly, running a hand through her hair nervously.

“Hey, Ally,” Braelyn said, trying to sound almost suggestive.

Aella didn’t seem to notice, but  _ that _ wasn’t new, and she dropped completely out of the vents, letting the air catch her and hold her in place upside down, putting her about eye level to Braelyn.

“What’s wrong? What’s with the hurt face?” Aella asked, sounding worried as she reached forward to hold Braelyn’s face in her hands.

Braelyn blushed in surprise, looking up at her.

“Did someone hurt you? Oh, just say the name and I’ll-”

“Raelynn.”

Aella hesitated.

“... ask you what happened and if I can help?”

Braelyn laughed quietly, and she couldn’t help but grin as she looked at Aella.

“How about you just help me find Rae?”

“Can do!” Aella said, flipping herself over so that she was floating, cross legged, in front of Braelyn. She reached out and grabbed her around the waist before she started to fly with her in her lap down the hallway, eyes peeled for Raelynn.

-

“Wait, really? I can’t believe they broke up, they seemed so perfect,” Coco said, sipping a drink out of her coconut as she looked at the couple.

“Yeah, turns out they were tearing Ilesha apart. Really sad stuff,” Rosemary said, sipping her drink as well.

“I don’t know, I think it’s fitting. She deserved better,” Akio said, shrugging as he adjusted his sunglasses that Coco had given him. They had clear frames, and he had grinned the moment he had gotten them, giving Rosemary an excited look.

“Anyways-”

“There you are! Coco, you were supposed to bring them back!” Velvet cried.

Coco looked surprised, and she glanced over at the other two for help.

Rosemary wracked her brain, but she didn’t think she had anything shocking enough to stop her mother from ruining the moment.

She looked to Akio desperately, and he suddenly grinned, clearing his throat.

“Did you know,” Akio held out the moment for a bit longer, savoring it, clearly unused to having the gossip that people were hanging onto, “that Raelynn has a thing for Cassandra?”

“Wait, WHA-”


	28. Chase

Braelyn took a moment to think as she was carried through the halls by Aella, frowning.

She…  _ supposed _ that ambushing might have not been the right approach. And waiting in their bedroom to attack her with knowledge didn’t seem very innocent looking back, but she had just wanted to be a  _ little _ dramatic. She had thought that teasing Raelynn about her crush for just a minute would be enjoyable, but she didn’t get the chance, and apparently Raelynn was  _ far _ more jumpy about this than she had thought.

“What even happened with you guys?” Aella asked gently.

“Rae thinks I’m mad at her for liking someone else,” Braelyn replied, shrugging.

Aella stumbled in midair, almost falling out of the sky.

“Wait, she  _ what _ ?!” Aella cried.

“She likes someone else. My sister, to boot,” Braelyn said, shrugging.

“Rae’s poly?!” Aella hissed, barely steadying herself before she hit the ground. She had come to a complete stop, and she was staring down at Braelyn in complete disbelief. “But you two are so perfect together! How would… how would anyone get in the way of that?”

“Well, there’s nothing to get  _ in the way of, _ Aella. There’s plenty of space,” Braelyn said, looking up at Aella with a small smile.

Aella hesitated, and Braelyn could have sworn that she saw the other girl blush, but that could have just been wishful thinking on her part.

“Oh, well… good for you guys… and Cass.”

Braelyn was about to say something, but she was immediately distracted.

“There! She’s right there!” Braelyn cried, pointing down the hall.

Aella immediately looked up, and she darted down the hallway in the air.

“Rae!” Aella said excitedly. “Brae wants to talk to you about Cassandra!”

Raelynn froze for a moment before her eyes went wide with panic, and she scrambled backward, looking around for an escape.

Braelyn leapt out of Aella’s arms, and she hurried forward.

“Rae, I just wanna talk.”

“About the weather? It’s fantastic this time of year. Any time of year in Menagerie, really!” Raelynn said with a forced smile.

Braelyn’s eye twitched and Aella frowned in confusion.

“What? No, I just told you she wanted to talk about you and Cass!” Aella clarified.

Raelynn gave her a scathing glare before taking a step back, watching her girlfriend closely. After a moment, her eyes locked on something to the side, and she threw herself to the ground, scrambling over to the nearest vent and slamming it open. She threw herself inside, and Braelyn stared incredulously, eyes going wide.

“Wha… Rae you can’t get out of this conversation that easily!” Braelyn cried.

“WATCH ME!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the vents.

“Don’t worry, Brae, I can go get her for you!” Aella said, giving Braelyn that soulful look she always got, as if saying “I’ll do anything to help you because I lo-”

Braelyn flushed and forced a nod, though she shook her head after to clear it.

That stuff about how Aella looked at her? Wishful thinking. That was how Aella looked at  _ everyone, _ after all. Like some little puppy that was just dying to be useful. Braelyn found it undeniably adorable, even if she had to admit that it might not be the healthiest mentality for Aella.

“Thanks, Ally,” she said softly.

“No problem, Brae!” Aella put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a fond smile. “You know I’d do anything for you two.”

Braelyn hesitated, about to respond, but Aella took off into the vents.

“Rae, sweetie, you mean the world to me, but I’m not above dragging you out of these vents kicking and screaming!”

Braelyn couldn’t see her, but she knew that Raelynn hesitated, perhaps a goofy grin growing across her lips.

“DID YOU HEAR THAT, BABE?! AELLA SAID SHE’D DO  _ ANYTHING _ FOR US!” Braelyn called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder.

Raelynn felt her face turn red and she couldn’t help the small smile that grew across her lips. She stopped moving for a moment, thinking, but her eyes widened as she heard Aella clambering through the vents at full speed, and she scrambled forward in her attempt to escape her crush as she chased after her.

“Come on, you two just need to talk,” Aella said calmly, but she reached out and grabbed Raelynn by the leg, yanking her back.

Raelynn scrambled, trying to escape her grasp, but Aella was able to grab her and shoot her gliders out, wrapping them around Raelynn.

Raelynn tried to wiggle out of the grasp, but was unable to get out of her hold.

Raelynn looked up for a moment, staring at Aella as she held her tight.

“How are you so good at this?!” Raelynn hissed.

“It’s like an involuntary hug, and I’m good at hugs,” Aella said, shrugging.

Raelynn flushed red and rolled her eyes, but there was a fond smile on her face.

“Yeah, makes sense…”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

Aella shrugged again before gently pulling her out of the vents, letting her cloak fall around the two of them as she gave Braelyn a proud smile.

“See? I told you I could help!” Aella said happily, leaning down to put her head on top of Raelynn’s own. “Want me to leave her here for you or I can pop in some earbuds and close my eyes while I hold her in place for you!”

Raelynn hesitantly glanced to the side, wondering how Aella’s fur could be so soft.

“No, I think I need her to be coherent and undistracted for this conversation,” Braelyn said with a fond smile. “Thanks, though.”

Aella seemed confused, but she left the girl there, holding her out for Braelyn to hold her before she took off.

“Call me if you need me!” she said, turning in midair so that she could look at them and hold up her hands in the shape of the heart before she left the hall.

Braelyn turned back to look at her girlfriend.

“Alright. I think it’s about time we talked this out.”


	29. Pandemonium

Pandora was seated in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she sipped her coffee. She was reading a book, hunched over a bit. Even though the room had been empty for several hours at this point, she still glanced around as if watching and waiting for someone to come into the room.

She heard footsteps, but she knew who it was before they walked in.

“Morning,” Kylee grumbled, stalking over to look around. “Where’s the coffee?”

“Why, have a long night?” Pandora replied, still reading her book.

“You  _ know _ I did.”

“I do, in fact, know you did, because I have to sleep in the same apartment as your ‘long nights.’”

Kylee snickered, but she took a moment to think.

“But seriously, where’s the coffee?” she asked.

“You see, they’re in these things,” Pandora barely stopped herself from jumping as Vander walked into the room, “called grounds, and then you  _ ground them _ to make the coffee. What a neat little trick, huh?”

“No, I,” Kylee groaned. “I mean, where’s the coffee I usually get in the morning that you make.”

“You think I make you coffee every morning?” Pandora asked, raising an eyebrow and staring back at Kylee in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Kylee replied. “See? It’s right there!”

She reached forward to grab a coffee mug, but Pandora snatched it and pulled it back, somehow not spilling the coffee.

“That’s  _ Xylia’s _ coffee, Lee,” Pandora said, shaking her head. “You take it and I cut you.”

“Wh- Pandora?!” she cried.

“Just because I’m a cop doesn’t mean I can’t defend my property.”

Kylee thought for a moment about taking the cup anyways, but Pandora shifted a bit to show that she was wearing her baton.

Kylee grumbled before she stalked over to make her own coffee.

“Wait, who makes my coffee then?” Kylee asked, turning around slowly.

“Yvenne,” Pandora replied, sipping her own coffee.

“She does?” Vander asked, taking her seat next to Pandora.

Pandora hesitated for a moment and she glanced over at her friend/adopted sister. She considered before she started to inch closer, putting her hand on top of Vander’s.

Vander emanated with surprise for a moment before she gave her sister a smile and fell still, other than to eat her food.

Slowly, Pandora inched closer to her with a small smile on her face, moving closer ever so slowly. It was almost impossible to see her movement, but she was inching closer and closer to her.

Vander stayed perfectly still the moment Pandora put her head on her shoulder, and Pandora smiled thinly before curling up at her side like a content cat, sipping at her coffee.

She liked weekends, if only so that she could have a bit of extra time with her family. They hadn’t  _ technically _ been a family for too long, just ever since Xylia had adopted them, but Pandora guessed she had been with the family the longest, considering she was the first to be adopted.

It had been almost two years ago now, and she was still getting used to it.

Or, well, she thought she was.

Vander was hesitant as she wrapped an arm around Pandora, but Pandora smiled and curled up against her fondly. Vander fell still, allowing Pandora to just curl up against her side.

Vander was rather worried, but she was noticeably happy as Pandora let her eyes fall shut.

Vander spiked with worry, and Pandora’s eyes flashed open, her hand shooting forward to smack Kylee’s own.

Kylee had a spark of surprise before she glared at her sister and moved back from the cup.

There were loud footsteps, and Pandora looked up before she moved the cup down the counter for Xylia to grab. Xylia didn’t look up as she grabbed it, downing half in one gulp before she glanced between Vander and Pandora.

She gave Pandora the fond smile before she took her own seat.

Pandora wasn’t very touchy, for several reasons that she didn’t want to get into at the moment, and Vander was rather worried that she would mess something up. Pandora put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down before she closed her eyes.

There were more footsteps, and Pandora didn’t recognize them. She subconsciously pulled closer to Vander, wrapping one arm around her waist. Vander was shocked, but she let Pandora cling to her.

A vaguely familiar form walked out of Kylee’s room, a smug smirk on her face as she sent a wink toward Kylee.

Kylee laughed and went to pull her close, but Xylia smacked her in the back of the head.

The woman, Harleen, was one of Kylee’s more common calls. In fact, she was the only girl they’d seen here more than three times. She had been over countless times, and Pandora had a dislike for the emotions she gave off. Vander picked up on that, and she glared at Harleen before rubbing Pandora on the back.

Kylee didn’t notice as she gave the other woman a long kiss before pulling away and waving at her.

The woman walked out with a saunter, and Kylee watched her go not-so-subtly.

Pandora smiled and leaned closer to Vander and let out a sigh of content.

Even if they could be annoying sometimes, she’d rather feel them than nothing at all.


	30. Confrontation

Raelynn looked anywhere but at her girlfriend as she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.

“Don’t you try to run away again,” Braelyn said, crossing her arms. “Now. Why didn’t you tell me that you’re in love with my sister?”

“I’m not!” Raelynn said, though she spoke far too quickly, and her voice changed by at  _ least _ two octaves.

Braelyn tapped her foot impatiently.

“Yes, you are, come on, it’s alright, I just want to talk about it.”

“Talk about it with weapons, right?” Raelynn asked under her breath, shaking her head. “Listen, it’s not that big a deal, alright? I mean, I’ve ignored it for  **years** now, so-”

“For YEARS?!” Braelyn cried, staring at her girlfriend in shock.

“I-” Raelynn’s eyes widened at her own mistake and took a step back instinctively. “No?”

“You’ve been in love with my sister… for years now?” Braelyn asked. A flicker of hurt crossed her face, and she stared at Raelynn with a mixture of regret and pain.

Raelynn flinched.

“Uh, you…,” Raelynn looked away. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Raelynn took another step back, and Braelyn looked down at the ground, sighing.

“You’ve been in love with my sister for years… and you never told me.”

“I… I didn’t want to upset-”

Braelyn looked back up, and there were tears in her eyes.

“Am I  _ that _ bad of a girlfriend, Rae? I mean, I know I can be a bitch, which is something you’ve made abundantly clear in the past, and I can’t blame you for, but am I really a bad girlfriend? I thought… I thought that I was at least  _ mediocre _ ! Dust, Rae! You… you were too scared to tell me? For years?!”

Raelynn almost fell over in shock, staring at her girlfriend.

“You know that you can talk to me about this, right? About  _ anything _ ! I thought… I thought we could share anything. That’s always been the deal, right? Since we were seven?”

Raelynn couldn’t help but give her a fond smile before she focused on the matter at hand. Her pulse, which had been racing, slowed a bit and she shook her head.

“Well… we kind of made that deal when we were  _ nine, _ actually… remember? Standing outside your house, after a bad game of Uno, we promised to never lie to each other again so we didn’t break up.”

“Really? You’re avoiding with semantics? Come on, Rae, you’re better than that.”

“No, no, this is…,” Raelynn took a deep breath, “this is relevant.”

“How is tha-”

Braelyn’s eyes widened.

“No.”

Raelynn nodded.

“No.”

Raelynn nodded again, blushing this time.

“You’ve been in love with my sister since we were eight?!” Braelyn hissed.

Raelynn looked away, searching for anything to look at other than her girlfriend.

“Yeah…”

“Since you were eight?!”

“Well it’s not that big of a surprise, Brae!” Raelynn cried. “I fell in love with you when we were seven! I fell in love with Aella in, like, the course of a week! You said one,  _ one, _ thing about Abdera, and I was head over heels! Zohra? One time watching her trap Aella under the mistletoe and I was hooked! Not to mention I think that I have a crush on Kesey, but that’s not what’s important right now!”

“You what?!”

“Not important! We have Cassandra to deal with right now,” Raelynn said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Uh, no, I think that’s important-”

“Later, later,” Raelynn said, waving her hand again, but Braelyn could tell there was a small blush on her face at the words.

Braelyn suddenly realized that her girlfriend was willing to talk about Cassandra, so she let it drop… for the moment at least.

“Fine… so,” Braelyn gave her girlfriend a suggestive smirk, slinking over to wrap an arm around her shoulders, “ _ Cassandra, _ huh?”

Raelynn flushed a dark shade of red and looked away, but there was a small, fond look on her face.

“Yeah… she’s… she’s pretty cool I guess…”

“You’ve been in love with my sister since we were eight and all you can say is that she’s ‘pretty cool?’ Really? Come on, Rae!”

Raelynn sighed, glancing back at her girlfriend.

“Are… are you sure that you’re not mad?” she asked quietly.

“I’m sure. Come on, spill.”

Raelynn gave her a loving smile before leaning against her side with a sigh.

“Well… I guess I love her,” Raelynn let out a small laugh of shock. “Wow, that’s… that’s the first time I’ve ever said that. I’m in love with Cassandra.”

“All this time, and you’ve never said it?!” Braelyn cried.

“No? Ugh, it’s just… she’s your  _ sister, _ Brae! What was I supposed to do?! Tell you the minute I got a crush on her?!”

“Yes!”

Raelynn hesitated.

“W-.... I  _ guess _ that would have been a logical approach, but what do you expect from me, Brae?! You  **know** me, and you  **know** that I’m not logical! If anything, this is on you for not expecting it.”

Braelyn stared at her.

“Okay, so that’s not true, and I wish I could retract THAT sentence-”

Braelyn snorted.

“Point is, I… I guess I was scared.”

Braelyn shook her head fondly.

“Alright, alright, come on, let it out. You know I can’t stay mad at you.”

Raelynn stared at her this time.

“For longer than a month, and only because you stole my food.”

“I’m your girlfriend!” Raelynn snapped.

“Yeah, and those were  **my fries** ! This is a relationship, not a communist country!”

Raelynn laughed and shook her head, leaning closer.

“Well, I guess… I just love her.  _ Everything _ about her… well, except for maybe the fact that she gets in a shit ton of trouble,” Braelyn nodded sagely, “but… she’s  _ sooo _ cute when she just flops on top of people. And she’s alway-”

“Alright, alright, never mind, gush about her to someone else, because she’s my sister, and I don’t want to hear something I can’t unhear,” Raelynn glanced at her nervously, “but I  _ am _ happy for you, and I  _ will _ get you your official second girlfriend.”

Raelynn’s eyes widened in panic and she shook her head quickly.

“What?! No!”

“Huh? Why not?” Braelyn asked.

“Are you kidding me?! The most recent relationship with two sisters dating the same girl just  _ crashed and burned right in front of our eyes _ ! I’m not going to let that happen, Brae,” Raelynn turned and grabbed her girlfriend’s face in her hands, staring into her eyes intently. “I’m not going to get in between you and Cass, and I’m not going to let anything get in between us!”

“Come  _ on, _ Rae! We’ve been over this  **so many** times! What is it we  _ always _ say?”

Raelynn sighed, but she seemed fond as she did so.

“You’re not getting in the way, there’s plenty of room,” she said sounding as if she was quoting something she had said dozens of times in the past.

“Exactly. Now, first of all, we have  _ that, _ and second of all, nothing is going to get between Cassandra and I. Third? Well, it’s not going to be  _ just _ two sisters dating one person by the time we’re through, remember?” Braelyn said, giving her girlfriend a wry grin and a wink.

Raelynn snickered and rolled her eyes, but she was fighting a smile.

“Brae, that’s really sweet of you, but… she doesn’t like me anyways, alright? Besides, I’m not so sure she would be as willing to do that as you are.”

“Aw come on,  _ nobody _ can resist you, Rae,” Braelyn said, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “And besides, she has  _ more _ than enough sense to let that get between us.”

Raelynn ran a hand through her hair nervously.

“Look, I… I don’t… I  _ know _ she doesn’t like me, so can we just drop it? I’ve dealt with it for years now, alright?”

Braelyn snorted and shook her head, already heading down the hallway.

“Where are you going?”

“Just wait here,” Braelyn said, giving her a mischievous smirk before she took off down the hall.

-

Cassandra turned around as she heard a loud voice call for her.

“Hey, Cass!” Braelyn shouted.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot impatiently as her hand started to mess with something on her side.

“Yeah?”

Braelyn grabbed her by the wrist and Cassandra hesitated, wobbling on her feet a bit. Braelyn pulled her closer and threw Cassandra over her shoulder and stalked back down the hallway.

Cassandra was laying on her shoulder limply, swinging from side to side with a dazed expression on her face.

_ Really, _ Braelyn thought bitterly, shaking her head,  _ it was  _ **_really that easy_ ** _! Why did they have to make it this difficult?! _

-

Raelynn looked up, and her eyes widened in shock as she saw Cassandra lazily looking up at her from Braelyn’s shoulder, and she gave her a small smile, not seeming to notice that Raelynn had turned a dark shade of red as their eyes met.

“Rae, hold out your arms,” Braelyn directed, giving her a small grin.

Raelynn hesitated, still staring at Cassandra with a mixture of fondness and fear.

“I…”

“Alright, I’m going to drop her, and you’re either going to catch her or she’s going to hit the ground.”

Raelynn lunged forward as Braelyn let her go, catching Cassandra and cradling her gently with a worried look on her face.

“Are you alright?” Raelynn asked.

Cassandra gave her a slightly broader smile and relaxed even further.

“Mhm.”

“I think you two have a lot to talk about.”

Raelynn forced an awkward laugh.

“What?! No we don’t!”

“Hey, Cass,” Cassandra lazily looked over.

“Hm?”

“I have a question.”

Cassandra blinked at her, waiting.

“How do you feel about Raelynn?”


	31. A Deal

“How do you feel about Raelynn?” Braelyn asked, watching her sister and girlfriend as they stared at each other.

“You really don’t have to answer that!” Raelynn replied quickly, her voice cracking a bit as she flushed a bright shade of red.

“Seriously, Rae?!” Braelyn hissed. “Come on, you’re supposed to be suave, you’ve got so many people left to seduce!”

Raelynn shot her a nasty glare, and Cassandra hesitated for a moment, shifting just slightly so that she could look up at Raelynn.

“Wh… you’re seducing people?” Cassandra asked.

Raelynn jumped, staring down at her, still blushing deeply.

“I… well…”

“That’s… that’s not a surprise,” Cassandra had an expression that was a mixture of fond and sad. “You were always really good at that kind of thing.”

Raelynn was speechless, so Braelyn cut in.

“What kind of thing?” she asked for her girlfriend.

“Making people fall for her,” Cassandra said slowly, a lazy smile on her face. “I mean, first there was you,” Cassandra’s tail lazily pointed at her sister with a small twitch, “and then there was Abdera… and…,” Cassandra hesitated for a moment, and Raelynn found herself pulling the other girl closer. “And me.”

Raelynn’s eyes widened at the words and she fumbled, almost dropping Cassandra, but she was able to steady her.

“See? Come on, confess,” Braelyn hissed to her girlfriend, a fond smile on her face.

Raelynn stumbled for a moment, her face as red as it could physically go as she looked down at her.

“I… I love you, Cass. Have since we were eight, actually. You’re… you’re  _ so weird, _ and that’s, apparently, my type.”

Cassandra’s eyes widened at the words, and she shot up in Raelynn’s arms, grabbing her face in her hands and pulling her down until she could kiss her.

Raelynn let out a strangled sound of shock before her eyes fluttered shut, pulling her closer.

When the two of them pulled apart, Raelynn let out a small chuckle, her eyes starting to water for a moment as she looked between the two of them.

There was a moment where Raelynn thought about just never letting Cassandra go, but she finally put Cassandra on her feet with a regretful pang in her heart and a sigh.

After Raelynn dropped her, Cassandra was able to catch herself, like always, and she turned to give Raelynn a small, almost shy smile before her eyes landed on Braelyn.

Her eyes widened in shock and she immediately turned on her heel, attempting to sprint out of the hall.

Braelyn lunged forward to grab her sister by the wrist and tugged her backward.

“Hey! That’s my girlfriend you were just kissing!” Braelyn snapped.

Cassandra’s eyes widened in terror.

“You might as well show some decency and take her out on a date after all that!”

Cassandra hesitated, taking a long moment to understand what her sister had said.

“Wait… really?”

Braelyn glanced between her sister and her girlfriend before she made a shooing motion toward Raelynn.

“Wha-” Raelynn frowned in confusion.

“Jeez, Rae, not everything is  _ about you, _ like seriously,” Braelyn said with a playful smirk.

“This… this is literally about me, Brae.”

“I said get,” she said, waving her hand.

Raelynn laughed quietly before giving Cassandra one last fond look and a wave before she went down the hallway.

“Alright, Cass! Here’s the deal. You treat her with love and respect, I treat her with love and respect, and we talk, because we aren’t going to screw this up like Crystal and Lavey, right?”

Cassandra nodded vigorously.

“Alright! So we cool?”

“Yeah.”

“Great! On three,” Cassandra raised an eyebrow, “one, two, three, let’s not fuck this up!”

Cassandra laughed for a minute before she started to cheer, wrapping an arm around her sister’s shoulders and subsequently starting to go limp.

“Get offa me, ya weirdo,” Braelyn said, but she was grinning as she grabbed her sister around the waist and picked her up, throwing her over her shoulder. “Now, how about we go find that girl of ours? You  _ do _ owe her a date after all.”


	32. Hypnotized

Today was supposed to be a good day. It was supposed to be relaxing and stress relieving after everything that had happened. Their time in Menagerie was coming toward its end, and the locals had realized that they had the  _ entirety _ of the Adax band was on the island, and they had asked if they would mind making a guest appearance during tonight’s music festival.

Ilesha had been rather hesitant to do so, but she decided to after some convincing from Zohraa and some other members of the band that it would be good for her to have an outlet for some of her feelings.

Crystal and Lavey were a little bit nervous as they walked out onto the beach, looking down at the long line of stages and bands that were getting ready to perform.

“Alright, you know the plan, right?” Lavey whispered.

Crystal gave her a scowl.

“Of course I know the plan!” Crystal hissed.

Lavey glared at her sister before she growled, running a hand through her hair.

“Get it out now, Cy, cause we can’t fight in front of her, alright?” Lavey snapped.

Crystal nodded, glaring at her. Just because she was right doesn’t mean she could be a bitch about it, but she supposed she couldn’t expect anything different from Lavey.

Meanwhile, Raelynn was talking to Braelyn, looking exceedingly worried.

“Are you sure it’s alright?” she asked quietly, slipping her hand into her girlfriend’s own.

Braelyn squeezed her hand before gently letting go, rolling her eyes.

“Of  _ course _ it’s alright. Now go suck face with my sister, I have a gremlin to seduce.”

Raelynn raised an eyebrow.

“Only one?”

“Well I have to focus!” Braelyn waved her hand dismissively. “Now have fun. Cass, treat her li… well, I was going to say treat her like a lady, but that would give her unrealistic expectations from me that I don’t want to live up to that.”

Raelynn stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes as Braelyn walked off down the beach, clearly intent to find Aella.

Raelynn glanced over at Cassandra, who gave her a shy smile.

“Uh… hey,” Cassandra rubbed the back of her neck and glanced at Raelynn.

“Didn’t think that Brae was the articulate twin.”

There was a beat of silence before Raelynn visibly winced.

“Mentioning your twin wasn’t a good move on the first date, was it? I mean, your twin that I’m also dating and have been for a while. But she’s not here right now, but… you already know that, don’t you?” Cassandra blinked at her. “I’ve… been rambling for too long.”

Cassandra stared for another minute before she burst out laughing, doubling over and shaking her head.

“And here you were making fun of  _ me _ for scrambling for something to say,” Cassandra looked up, still laughing, and Raelynn stared at her, her face flushed red. Cassandra had laughed so hard that she was crying a bit, and she wiped at her eyes.

“W-well… I had to do  _ something _ to break the tension!” Raelynn stumbled.

“I think I just ended up breaking your mind,” Cassandra said, taking one step closer.

Raelynn took a deep breath, trying to gather all of her confidence. She slowly reached one hand forward, trying to grab onto Cassandra’s own.

After all, they were dating now. Cassandra… Cassandra was her girlfriend, she hadn’t ever thought that she would get to think that or say that for real, and they were on their first date. Theoretically, they could hold hands.

Yeah!

Just as her hand started to graze against Cassandra’s, Cassandra twitched back, stopping her.

Raelynn hesitated before her face flushed red.

“R-right, sorry, I should have asked, I didn’t mean to make you un-”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“No, you idiot, I just don’t want to flop all over you,” Cassandra gave her a small smirk and a fond look, “I kind of want to be able to talk to you tonight.”

Raelynn found herself smiling, and she ducked her head.

“Right, sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. Dust, how did Brae deal with that for so long without going insane?!”

Raelynn chuckled and shrugged, glancing over.

“I don’t typically apologize, you know.”

“So I’m special?” Cassandra asked, smirking.

“Always,” Raelynn breathed.

Cassandra hesitated before her face flushed pink.

“Didn’t know you were so cheesy.”

“Well get ready to learn everything about me, because I’m going to spill my life story that you probably should know already.”

Cassandra laughed and looked up at her for a moment.

“You know? I’m actually looking forward to that.”

-

Ilesha took a second, looking out at the audience.

It seemed that the Adax band was very popular here too, and many of their fans were screaming for them to do some of their more popular songs.

“Sing Can You Feel the Love Tonight!” someone screamed.

“No, Kiss the Girl!” another replied.

“I Do Adore!”

“Grab Your Shoes!”

Ilesha turned back to the band, grimacing.

“I don’t think I can do this, guys,” she muttered. “I can’t sing those songs.”

“Then sing what you want to sing,” Zohra said gently. “No pressure.”

Ilesha took a moment before she turned back to the audience in front of her, who was cheering loudly.

She took a deep breath and grabbed the microphone.

“Dudes and dudettes!” she called, causing the entire crowd to cheer at their signature opening. “As much as I would love to sing those songs for you guys, I really am  _ not _ feeling them, so we’ve got a shock for you guys! Some never before seen Adax Band covers!”

There was a stunned silence over the crowd before cheering sounded.

Meanwhile, her sister had started to record, sensing that this would probably be their next hit song.

Ilesha whispered to the group for a minute before she turned back, taking a deep breath as the music started, her eyes fluttering shut.

She started to sing, and the emotion in her voice caused the crowd to go silent in shock.

“Lately I'm getting lost on you,” Ilesha took a breath and swayed back and forth to the music, not realizing that the crowd had started to grow rather nervous, staring at Ilesha with concern. Her hair had turned a dark shade of black, and her band members didn’t seem to know if this was a good or bad thing.

“You got me doing things I never thought I'd do, never spent so long on a losing battle… but lately giving up don't seem to matter.”

Images of Crystal and Lavey flashed in her mind, and her grasp on the microphone tightened. When Ilesha performed, she was usually dancing on the stage, grinning at the audience and trying to engage them. This time, she was completely still.

“Everyday I'm a slave to the heartache, and you're wasting away every night.”

She had seen the two of them moping around, and she still couldn’t believe that she was the reason they were in so much pain. She hadn’t meant to hurt them, but…

“I don't wanna leave you lonely, but I've run out of love this time.”

She just couldn’t do it anymore, not with the pain of them tearing her apart with their constant arguing.

“You know that I adore you, though I couldn't give enough.”

Ilesha had never been enough for them, had she? She’d known it when they got together, but she’d somehow tricked herself into believing that they had a shot to last.

That had been her fault.

“Hope you'll be safe in the arms of another, 'cause I can't take the weight of your love.”

It had been a weight, and they had dragged her down until she had hit rock bottom, but now she didn’t know if she could pull her way out.

“I had a hold on your soul, but I lost my grip, let you go… I should've carried us both.”

Ilesha took a shaking breath as the song came to an end.

She wondered sometimes, when she was supposed to be falling asleep and was instead laying in bed staring at the ceiling, if there could have been a way that she could have made it work, if she had just given enough of herself she could have kept them together…

But she knew that she couldn’t have. She just didn’t have enough of herself to give.

-

Cassandra glanced at Raelynn, the two of them seated on the beach listening to the Adax Band.

“So I take it this evening won’t be as romantic as planned?” Cassandra asked, snickering.

“Apparently not.”

-

“No I would not sleep in this bed of lies,” Ilesha chanced a look at the audience, and saw that several people were either gaping at her or openly crying, “so toss me out and turn in, and there'll be no rest for these tired eyes.”

As her eyes scoured the crowd, she found herself wondering if she had made a mistake. She’d already hurt two people she loved, she didn’t want to hurt her fans.

“I'm marking it down to learning, I am. Don't wanna be the one who turns the whole thing over. Don't wanna be somewhere where I just don't belong. Where it's not enough just be sorry.”

Sorry had never been enough, had it? No matter who was saying it.

“Don't you know I feel the darkness closing in. Tried to be more than me, and I gave till it all went away and we've only surrendered to the worst part of these winters we've made.”

Ilesha hesitated as the notes came to a stop, and she looked at the audience, hesitating.

There was a long silence before cheers broke out, people wiping at their eyes. As they did, Ilesha realized suddenly that she had been crying, and she wiped at her face, slightly embarrassed, but she smiled out at the crowd.

“Sorry for the sad concert, my dudes, dudettes, and dubinary buds! Hope it’s still enjoyable.”

There was cheering and cries of support that made Ilesha laugh gently, her hair lightening to a hesitant brown.

-

Jin glanced outside, the sound of the concert reaching her ears. She bounced to her feet, glancing at Romy. She had decided to stay back with her during the concert while Saffron played.

She turned up the television, closed the window, and fell down on the bed next to Romy, holding her gently. No sad music for her favorite gremlin today!

-

“Do you think that Ilesha’s alright?” Aella asked gently.

“I’m sure she’s fine. But… break ups are hard,” Braelyn said, inching closer to Aella and trying to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Aella glanced over at Braelyn, raising an eyebrow and bumping her with her shoulder.

“How would you know? You and Rae are perfect for each other.”

“Yeah, but she’s also perfect for Cass,” Braelyn gave Aella a meaningful look. “That’s something beautiful about people. Sometimes they can have too much love in their heart to just share with one person.”

Aella stared at her for a moment before laughing awkwardly and pulling her cloak closer around her.

“I… yeah, I  _ know _ that, Brae, you’d think  _ I _ of all people would know that.”

“And why’s that?” Braelyn pushed a bit, giving her a smirk. Aella hesitated.

“Well, first of all, Brae, I have  _ four _ mothers. And… second of all… I like to think that I’m a pretty loving person myself.”

Braelyn felt her heart skip a beat.

-

“Well, I know that we've been hardly holding on to tell the truth, I can't believe we got this far, oh.”

Ilesha had the entire crowd swaying to the music as she sang.

“Well, I know that we've been hardly holding on. To tell the truth, I can't believe we got this far. I wish somebody would've told me… I wish somebody would've told me…”

Ilesha took a breath, the next line coming out with almost a crack in her voice.

“That I'd end up so caught up in need of your demons, that I'd be lost without you leading me astray.”

Ilesha blinked back tears and grasped her microphone tightly.

“Guess I'm such a fucking fool for the way that you caught me!”

Ilesha thought that might have been the first time she had cursed in one of her songs, but she didn’t care.

“Girl, you make my heart break more every day, but don't fade away.”

Even if they had hurt her so much in the past few months, Ilesha didn’t know what she would do with herself if she never got to see them again.

Even if it hurt to see them, it was better than never getting the chance to again…

Right?

“Well, I know that we've been hardly holding on,” Saffron and Akio sang in the back.

“To tell the truth, I can't believe we got this far…,” Ilesha hadn’t ever thought she would get the chance with them, and she guessed she finally understood that whole thing about loving and losing instead of never having it.

“So don't fade away.”

-

Lavey and Crystal glanced at one another hesitantly. The band was currently taking a five minute break to talk about the next few songs, and the crowd was talking loudly, all of them wondering what/who had hurt Ilesha, considering they had never seen their favorite singer so sad.

They hadn’t liked the last song, but at least it had shown that she missed them, right? She didn’t want them to fade out of her memories.

They gathered their courage before they stepped backstage, finding that Ilesha was smiling just slightly as she talked to the band.

“I think it’ll be okay to go back to the normal songs, just not the really romantic… ones…,” Ilesha hesitated before she looked at the band, her eyes purposefully not on the two of them.

“What do you want?” Zohra snapped angrily.

“We wanted to talk to-”

Ilesha’s hair went back to black, and she gave the two a glare before turning back to the band.

“I guess the message wasn’t clear enough. I know our next song, at least.”

-

Saffron was about to step back onto the stage, but she hesitated when she felt someone tug at her sleeve.

She turned around, looking down in shock to see Yvenne, who seemed a bit shocked that she was here, almost as if she hadn’t thought everything through.

“Hey, Ven,” Saffron said, giving her a smirk, remembering that Yvenne was against nicknames. She didn’t get the response she was looking for, considering Yvenne didn’t even glare at her.

“I… just wanted to say that you guys are playing really good and… wanted to check on Ilesha,” she was speaking slowly, and she looked a little embarrassed.

“Thanks, Ven,” Saffron reached one gloveless hand up to ruffle her hand playfully, causing Yvenne to let out a sound of shock, though she didn’t react further, clearly too surprised, “and she’s fine. It’s good to get your emotions out like this,” Saffron smirked, looking her up and down, “maybe you should try that sometime instead of being a repressed country girl.”

Yvenne flushed.

“I’m not repressed!”

Saffron gave her a lingering look, tilting her sunglasses down with her semblance.

“Sure you aren’t, Ven.”

Yvenne glared at her for a moment before watching Saffron walk onto the stage.

-

“I'm burying every single memory we made to break the curse, to break the curse.”

Ilesha wasn’t crying anymore. In fact, she looked almost angry to the crowd around her as she sang, her eyes glowing with rage.

“Oh baby, I'm burning the pictures, switch my number and my locks, 'cause if it works, well, then it works.”

The entire band was so surprised by the anger in her voice that they almost forgot to play, but they were able to catch themselves.

“I'm trapped in a nightmare and I could never wake. It starts with the charm, then it cuts to get away. But my eyes are open and all I see is fake infatuation! So I'm escaping!”

“I’m escaping!” Akio and Saffron sang backup.

“Guess you'd say I'm blessed, threw away stress. The moment I said "I want you, I want you gone!"

Crystal and Lavey watched Ilesha sing, their eyes going wide. They had  _ never _ seen her this made before, but they found themselves unable to leave, too shocked by what they were hearing. By the words they had never thought Ilesha would say to anyone,  _ especially _ them.

“I'm on my own path, you're stuck in the past. I want you, I want you gone. I'm paying for passing by advice from all my friends and family. I couldn't see that so clearly, I'm hoping they know that love is blind and so was my identity.”

Zohra glanced at her sister and shook her head in disbelief.

“I couldn't see that, that I was trapped in a nightmare and I could never wake. It starts with the charm, then it cuts to get away! But my eyes are open and all I see is fake infatuation, so I'm escaping!”

Crystal and Lavey stumbled back, trying to leave before Ilesha could break their hearts again, but the next song started up immediately after.

This one was faster than the last song, and not quite as cheerful, clear from the first note that it was angry.

“Time to pack your bags, no more looking back, so quit your cryin'!” Ilesha looked over the audience, who was cheering with renewed vigor, clearly into the song. “I know, you know you're guilty, guess you must have had me in a trance, and now you've lost your chance!”

Crystal and Lavey flinched as if they had been slapped, but Ilesha didn’t notice, considering she wasn’t watching.

“So just quit tryin’, I know, you know you're guilty guess you must have had me hypnotized!”

They both stumbled as they headed toward the house, but Ilesha continued to sing painfully.

“Come on, you're not adept in honesty, and honestly, I see you've never delivered apologies. It's always: "Because of them or because of a thing that happened" What do you wanna receive for fucking it up all the time? A fucking statue?!”

“Congrats!” Saffron snapped into her microphone.

“I'll call it, hmm "Ode to Mr. Miserable," call me harsh for throwin' darts and aimin' for your hollow temples! Oh me? Ilesha died and it's no more nice guy season, cause now she's heated and it's time to pack your bags!”

Ilesha finally looked at them, and she locked eyes as she sang.

“No more looking back, so quit your cryin'! I know, you know you're guilty, guess you must have had me in a trance. And now you've lost your  **chance** ! So just quit tryin'! I know, you know you're guilty, guess you must have had me hypnotized.”


	33. Single

Yvenne was still standing backstage, watching the band. She couldn’t remember how long she had been watching them, but she couldn’t blame herself. After all, they were really good.

She was shocked out of her stupor when she felt her scroll going off, and she scrambled to grab her scroll out of her pocket, checking who was calling her.

“Bitch what just happened?! What am I seeing online?!” Vander shouted in her ear.

Yvenne pulled the scroll away from her ear, wincing.

“What are you talking about?” Yvenne asked, rubbing her forehead.

“The Adax Band! What’s happening?! Why am I getting all of these notifications that Ilesha is depressed?!”

“Because you’re way too obsessed with this band and follow every one of their social media accounts?” Yvenne asked, sounding tired of her friend as she continued to watch the gig.

“No, seriously, what’s going on?!” Vander snapped. “Kylee’s all depressed about Ilesha.”

“Wait Kylee cares about Ilesha?”

“Are you shitting me? Of course she does! That’s her favorite band member!” Vander hissed.

“She has a favorite band member?” Yvenne asked, frowning.

“Yes, of course she does, now come on, what happened to Ilesha?!”

“She broke up with her girlfriends and she wanted to have different songs for the occasion.”

“She broke up with her girlfriends?!” Vander cried.

“Wait she  _ what _ ?!” Kylee shouted in the background. “Does that mean that she’s single?!”

“You can’t sleep with her,” Yvenne hissed.

“Not yet I can’t, hold on, I need to find my good black top. Van, you know where I left it?!”

“Probably on someone’s bedroom floor.”

“Rude but fair.”

“You’re not going to try to seduce her, Ky,” Yvenne growled, “besides, it wouldn’t work. She’s not  _ that _ kind of girl.”

“What? One with eyes?” Yvenne couldn’t see her, but she knew that Kylee had given her best flirtatious smirk.

“No, one with low self-esteem and that’s easily seduced.”

There was an “oooh damn” from Vander and Kylee muttered something that Yvenne couldn’t hear in the background.

“But they broke up? They seemed so good together!” Vander said sadly.

“Yeah, they did, didn’t they?” Yvenne asked, trailing off for a moment as she stared at the band. “But… apparently they just didn’t work out, you know?”

“Hmm?”

“Sometimes people just aren’t meant for each other. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either of them, you know?” Yvenne said.

“You… alright there, Yvenne?” Vander asked.

Yvenne jumped, glancing back at her scroll.

“Yeah, why?” she replied.

“You seemed a little bit distant there.”

“Nope! Just telling you about Ilesha!”

“You think it’ll be on the news?” Vander asked.

“Why would it be on the news?” Yvenne questioned.

“Uh, because she’s  _ the _ Ilesha Ajax,” Vander cried.

“Yeah, she definitely is,” Kylee responded, smirking to herself as she sat down on the couch next to Vander.

“Are you being a hoe again?” Xylia called.

“Do you really have to ask?” Vander asked.

“True,” Xylia muttered.

“But seriously,” Vander, from the sound of it, had shoved Kylee away from her, “you think there’s going to be a news conference?”

“Why would they have a news conference?”

“Because she’s Ilesha Ajax, Yvenne!” Kylee called.

Yvenne rolled her eyes.

“So tell us about the others. Are they like they are in gigs?” Vander asked eagerly. “Have you seen Saffron’s motorcycle yet?”

“No, I haven’t been a creep like you and just asked to see someone’s motorcycle,” Yvenne replied, rubbing at her temple in frustration.

“Aw come on, you know it’s awesome,” Vander said.

“For the last time-”

“I didn’t say you were a lesbian!” Vander snapped. “Maybe you’re just a bit defensive for some reason…”

“A freudian slip, perhaps?” Kylee offered.

Yvenne growled.

“Goodbye,” she snapped, turning off her scroll and rolling her eyes as she went to look at the audience.

She glanced at Ilesha for a moment to see how she was doing. She was surprised that Ilesha’s hair had lightened to a color that was  _ almost _ dirty blond.

Zohra and Arlen were both grinning at their sister, clearly excited that their sister was feeling better. Akio and Rosemary shared a smile, and Saffron was clearly lost to the music, ,bobbing her head up and down before she glanced back and gave Yvenne a small smirk.

Yvenne smiled back, glancing away from Saffron and looking at the audience.

Her eyes landed on Raelynn and Cassandra, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself as she stared at the two of them. They were both seated on the ground, and Cassandra was about a moment away from leaning against her girlfriend, but she was clearly trying to stop herself to keep from ruining their chance to talk.

Meanwhile, Aella was excitedly talking to Braelyn. Yvenne couldn’t hear them, but she could see that Braelyn was staring at Aella with the same fond expression she always had.

After a moment, Aella grinned broader and bounced over, throwing her arms around Braelyn before hoisting her into the air.

Braelyn let out a sound of shock before Aella threw her over her shoulders and held onto her calves to hold her up.

Braelyn reached down to steady herself by putting two hands on her head.

Braelyn stared down at Aella for a long moment before she started to laugh, shaking her head.

Aella grinned like a fool, looking up at Braelyn and wiggling her shoulders a bit, causing Braelyn to let out a sound of shock and barely steadying herself.

Aella giggled and Braelyn was about to say something rude, but she froze, staring at her for a long moment. 

Finally, she let out a sigh and stared down at the top of Aella’s head, running a hand through her hair.

Meanwhile, Ilesha took a deep breath, smiling to herself and then looking out at the crowd, looking at her band members, her friends, and her family.

She might be single now, but she definitely wasn’t alone.


	34. Surprise

Blake took a sip of her tea for a moment and then glanced at her wives for a moment.

“Does anyone know where Auburn is?” Blake asked.

There was a beat of silence.

“In the ocean? Like he always is when we’re here?” Yang replied, raising an eyebrow.

“He seems like he’s been there longer than usual,” Blake muttered.

“No he hasn’t,” Weiss said, checking her watch for a moment.

“But something’s off,” Blake continued, frowning and leaning against the wall for a moment as she thought.

“You think, Blakey?” Ruby asked, leaning closer and setting her head on her wife’s shoulder.

“Definitely,” Blake said. “I can feel it.”

Blake took a second to look out of the window, wondering where her son was, before she turned away and gave Ruby a fond look.

“I guess I might have just been a bit paranoid,” Blake said, starting to lean down and put a kiss on her wife’s forehead, but Yang interrupted.

“No, no, I think you might have a point, Blake,” Yang said, pointing out the window.

Blake turned around to look out the window for a moment, and her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight in front of her.

Auburn was walking out of the ocean with a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he…

Was he…

Was he dragging something onto the beach?!

That couldn’t be…

“Is that a motorcycle?!” Yang cried.

Auburn was whistling to himself as he pushed the motorcycle onto the beach, almost tripping when a bit of seaweed caught on his foot, but he was able to stabilize himself as he headed toward the house with an excited grin.

The motorcycle was rusted and old, creaking with every push and trying to get lodged in the sand. He had found it in the middle of the sea and dragged it to the surface. It had taken some coaxing, but he had eventually been able to do it.

-

There was a knocking on the door, and Aella threw herself to her feet, dashing across the room.

Aella neared the door, but she tripped over something that Braelyn had left on the ground, causing her to go tumbling to the ground.

She let out a cry of shock, and someone leapt over to catch her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got y-”

Cassandra went to wrap her arms around Aella’s waist to catch her, but she went limp the moment Aella fell toward her, and the two tumbled to the ground, Aella landing on top of her in a heap.

Cassandra was staring at Aella lazily, a small smile growing across her face, and Aella scrambled, trying to check Cassandra for any injuries.

Cassandra didn’t move, and Aella got even more worriedly.

“Are you okay?! Where did you get hurt?! How many fingers am I holding up?!” Aella cried, raising her hand in front of Cassandra and wiggling a few fingers, though she accidentally changed how many were raised.

Cassandra didn’t respond, just staring up at Aella with that small smile, her body completely limp.

Aella spun to Raelynn and Braelyn, both of which gaped at Cassandra.

“What’s wrong with her?! Do I need to take her to Uncle Jaune?!” Aella hesitated to think. “Or a doctor? I mean, no offense, but I think a doctor would be better, all things considered… but what am I talking about?! Come on, Cass, we’re going to the hospital!”

Aella leaned down and grabbed Cassandra in a bridal style, lifting her into the air.

Cassandra was limp in her grasp, and that made Aella look even more terrified, and she looked as if she was wondering if she should just jump out of the window with the other girl and fly her to the hospital herself.

Just then, Auburn threw the door open and sprinted in, almost falling himself, but he was able to steady himself by grabbing the door frame.

“Taking Cassandra to the hospital?! What?! Is she okay?!” Auburn cried.

Raelynn stared at the pair in shock for a moment before she smirked. Then, she turned around to not look at them, cheering quietly.

Braelyn rolled her eyes, but she seemed rather pleased herself, glancing between her sister and Aella before smirking.

“Does anyone know where the closest hospital is?! I think Cassasndra’s dead!” Aella cried.

Cassadnra let out a quiet laugh, making Aella hesitate.

“Is… are you okay?!”

“Just drop her,” Braelyn said, waving her hand dismissively.

Aella pulled Cassandra closer to her chest protectively, her eyes going wide.

“What?! I’m not dropping her! I already  _ fell on her _ !” Aella cried.

“Just let her go, she’s floppified,” Braelyn said, rolling her eyes.

Aella took one look at Cassandra’s limp form.

“Uh, no, she only does that for people she trusts, not people that trip on air, which is the thing they’re  _ supposed to be able to control, _ and then land on top of them. I think she has a concussion. CALL THE PARAMEDICS!”

“No seriously, just put her down,” Braelyn said, shaking her head.

“But… what… what if she’s hurt?” Aella asked.

Braelyn stared at her for a long moment and Aella sighed, walking over to the bed slowly and gently putting the other girl down before pulling away hesitantly.

Cassandra sat up the moment Aella let her go, and her eyes went wide as her senses came flooding back to her.

Her face flushed red and she glanced at Raelynn, who was barely holding back a laugh.

“S-sorry about that, just…”

Aella’s eyes widened, and she grinned in excitement, bouncing up and down on her toes.

“Wait, you flopped?! For me?!” Aella leaned closer, and Cassandra almost fell off of the bed.

“I-I guess…”

“Aw, that’s so sweet! I always thought that your flops were  _ adorable _ !” Aella went to hug Cassandra, but hesitated, laughing. “Oh, right, no touch or else you just… you flop!”

Aella was about to continue, but she hesitated when Auburn hurried over to put a hand on his sister’s shoulder, tugging her back.

“Aella, come on, I have something to show you!” Auburn said, dragging her out of the room.

“Oh! Guess I’m busy, but I’ll be back in a minute and we can talk, Cass!” Aella called, waving at her.

Cassandra didn’t reply, just watching the two go.

Raelynn and Braelyn turned to glance at each other, starting to whistle quietly to each other in excited tunes.

-

“What’s up, Aubby?” Aella asked, bumping her brother’s shoulder with her own.

“I…,” he stood in front of her as they reached the doors, flourishing his hands excitedly, “am clearly your favorite brother, and as such, I have decided to get you a present.”

Aella perked up for a moment, grinning in excitement.

“Really?! Oh, that’s… wait, I didn’t get you anything! Oh no, wait I think I have something I can give you and Clover, but it’ll take me a while to get it, and…”

Auburn shook his head, putting his hand on Aella’s shoulder.

“Aella, not every gift has to be returned. Sometimes people just want to show you that they care, you know?”

Aella hesitated, and Auburn rolled his eyes.

“Just accept my love and the gift cause it’s amazing and I’m amazing, now come on.”

Aella laughed and let herself be dragged outside.

Her eyes landed on the motorcycle, and she gasped in excitement, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Aub…”

“Well, our moms always said no to us buying motorcycles, and I knew you wanted one, so… I found a loophole. Or, well, I found a motorcycle at the bottom of the ocean and then the loophole just kinda formed itself, but either way… tada!”

Aella laughed for a moment before she spun and threw her arms around her brother, pulling him in for a tight hug.

-

“Cassandra,” Braelyn said after a minute of whistling to Raelynn excitedly. “It seems there are some matters that we must discuss.”


	35. Fallout

Raelynn turned to face her girlfriend, or, well, her  _ second _ girlfriend (Dust, she had been waiting for so long to get to think that, especially considering it was Cassandra) and crossed her legs, one over the other.

She smiled for just a moment and gave Braelyn a small smirk before she began to speak.

“Cassandra, there’s a matter of great import that must be discussed,” Raelynn said, moving closer.

Braelyn went to block the door.

Cassandra watched the two of them warily, by now very used to the two of them and their crazy plans.

“About?” Cassandra asked nervously.

“How you’re in love with Aella,” Braelyn said, leaning against the door and looking at her nails, “and what we’re going to do about it.”

Cassandra hesitated for a moment before her eyes went wide.

“W-I’m not in…,” Cassandra stopped, her face flooding red, “oh shit, am I in love with Aella?!” 

Braelyn and Raelynn shared a look as Cassandra stared into the distance.

**“How did she not know this before?”** Raelynn whistled.

**“We all know that she’s not the brightest,”** Braelyn replied, shrugging.

**“Must run in the family,”** Raelynn whistled, causing Braelyn to whip her head around and glare at her.

Cassandra was still staring at the wall with a look of horror.

“Shit… shit! I can’t believe that I’m in love with Aella! Come  **_on_ ** ! The same girl I watched get trapped in the ventilation system for five hours once she had a growth spurt! The same girl that I watched lose a spar session, breaking her Aura, and then fall over when she tried to fly off! Seriously?! She’s… she’s just so-”

Raelynn reached over to cover Cassandra’s mouth with one hand, raising an eyebrow as she stared at her panicking girlfriend.

“Alright, take a deep breath.”

Cassandra took a breath through her nose, and Raelynn tried not to laugh.

“Now. You’re in love with Aella,” Cassandra’s eyes widened, “right?”

Cassandra hesitated.

“Nod for yes, shake your head for no. Like nonverbal communication has been done for hundreds of years, Cass,” Braelyn called, making Raelynn snicker.

Cassandra hesitated before she nodded her head, making Raelynn grin and turn to look at Braelyn, missing that Cassandra was staring at her girlfriend in horror.

“Okay, so you-”

Cassandra tore Raelynn’s hand away from her mouth, still looking concerned.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know, and if I’d known then I would have said something, but don’t worry, I-”

“Worry?” Raelynn hesitated, glancing at Braelyn and smirking a little. “Of course I’m not worried. I’m relieved, actually.”

Cassandra froze.

“You’re… you’re what?”

“Relieved!” Braelyn said, flopping onto the bed next to her sister with a grin.

“Um…,” Cassandra glanced between the two for a long moment. “Why?”

“Because, and this may come as a surprise to you,” Raelynn snickered, “we’re both poly.”

“And totally in love with Aella like seriously how can that little gremlin be so cute?!” Braelyn hissed.

Cassandra looked lost, still trying to process the information, but Raelynn spun, grinning.

“I  _ know _ ! Seriously, how?! And not to mention the obliviousness, seriously, it’s the worst,” Raelynn replied, leaning closer to her and putting her head on her stomach.

Braelyn was standing behind her while Raelynn sat, and she wrapped her arms around her waist with a small smile.

“So… so… you like her too?” Cassandra asked slowly.

“Love, but the point remains the same, yeah,” Raelynn said, giving Cassandra a fond look.

“So… you want… you want to date her, right?” Cassandra asked.

“That’s usually what someone wants when they’re in love with someone, yes,” Braelyn said, raising an eyebrow.

“And… y-”

“We wouldn’t mind if you dated her too,” Braelyn told her.

“In fact, it would definitely be preferable,” Raelynn said, smirking.

“And share two girls with her?” Braelyn stared at her sister, who grew uncomfortable under her gaze. Braelyn suddenly smirked and rolled her eyes. “Of course. Want her to be happy, after all.”

She hit her sister on the arm and Cassandra wobbled for a moment, almost falling over as the two of them touched, but she steadied herself when Braelyn pulled away.

“Although… it’s going to be difficult to get Aella to fall for one extra person,” Braelyn said.

“One extra person?!” Raelynn hissed. “We’re not even entirely sure that she’s poly!”

“But she’s a lesbian, so that’s a pro, right?” Braelyn asked, wincing a bit.

“Adolpha is a lesbian too and she’s  _ anything but _ poly, Brae!” Raelynn hissed, clearly a bit nervous.

“Yeah, but… it’s better than her being straight, right?” Braelyn said.

Raelynn hesitated for a moment before sighing and running a hand through her hair.

“Yeah, yeah… it’s better than nothing, I guess. Just… it’s  _ so _ difficult not to just reach over and kiss her some days.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know that you have no impulse control, Rae,” Braelyn said, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend’s head with a small smile.

Raelynn rolled her eyes.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and three jumped, turning around to see that Aella had just returned, grinning excitedly.

“Guys! I got a  _ motorcycle _ ! A  **motorcycle** !” Aella bounced over and fell onto the bed, landing next to Cassandra, their hands brushing against each other.

Cassandra went limp immediately, and Aella jumped, pulling away, and Cassandra immediately sat up, flushing red.

“S-sorry, that… I’ll try not to-”

Aella shook her head, turning on the bed to face Cassandra.

“Don’t apologize. You should  _ never _ apologize for something that you’re not in control of. Plus, I think that it’s cute when you do the little flops,” Aella hesitated, glancing at Raelynn, “that’s alright, right?”

Cassandra had turned red again, and she was still staring at Aella while Raelynn smiled fondly at Aella.

“Yeah, you can say that. You know, you don’t have to ask permission to talk to her like that, right?”

“But she’s your girlfriend, don’t want to cross any boundaries!” Aella said, giving Raelynn her best smile.

“You can cross any boundaries you want,” Raelynn said.

Auburn raised an eyebrow by the door, looking between them all.

Aella laughed and shook her head.

“Then I’d be intruding, and we don’t want that, now do we?” Aella asked, fiddling with her fingers for a minute.

“What i-”

Braelyn reached over and covered Raelynn’s mouth.

**“Is that really how you want to tell her?”** Braelyn whistled.

Raelynn considered for a moment before she sighed, shaking her head.

“You’re never intruding with us,” Cassandra whispered, still staring at her.

Aella hesitated before she gave her a wide grin.

“Thanks… that’s really sweet of you, Cass.”

She reached out to touch Cassandra’s shoulder before she hesitated.

“Right, sorry, no touchy… well, just imagine that I patted your shoulder then!”

Cassandra smiled and ducked her head.

“Right…”

“Hey, Aella, hold on, what did you tell our parents a few weeks ago?” Auburn called.

Aella spun, eyes widening as if she had forgotten he was there.

“Uh… that I had renovated the vents? That I helped Romy? That Romy died and was brought back to life potentially scarring all of us for life? That-”

“No, no, the other one.”

“Uh… about the squirrel incident?”

Auburn grimaced and Aella took a moment to think.

“Oh you mean about me being poly?! Yeah, we have something in common now, Rae!”

Raelynn stared at Aella in shock, her girlfriends gaping.

They tried to find something to say, but couldn’t find anything.

“And how’d you figure that out, Aella?” Auburn prompted.

Aella grinned.

“I guess that I just have a lot of love to give, ya know?” Aella glanced at the others shyly. “Want to spread it to the world wherever I can! Don’t know how I’ll be able to find too many girls, but… I can try, you know!”

“Hey, Aella, how about you go back outside and get the motorcycle in the garage?” Auburn said.

Aella grinned and hopped up.

“Right! Be right back!”

She dashed out, and Auburn spun to look at Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra.

“You know that staring at her isn’t the same as flirting? And flirting with her isn’t going to work anyways because she’s oblivious. Just tell her. There’s a  _ chance _ you might have a shot, but it’s not fair for you to expect Aella to put this together. She’s… she’s not  _ good _ at this kind of thing, so you have to spell it out.”

They all gaped at the youngest of the seven before he rolled his eyes.

“I might not be the brightest, but I’m not blind. Good luck… you’re gonna need it.”

With that, Auburn walked out, leaving them all shocked with thoughts of Aella running through their heads.


	36. Reinforcement

Ilesha was laying down on the bed with one hand thrown behind her head while she stared up at the ceiling blankly.

Her hair was still jet black, and she was happy to finally be alone. She had been trying to put up a good front for all of her friends. She had been getting better.

Right?

She thought that she was.

People seemed to think so.

They kept telling her that she was strong, that she was getting better and that she was doing well.

Then why did she still feel the same?

Why did she feel like she had just broken up with them even though it had been almost a week?

Why did she feel like she had made a mistake?

Why did she feel like she had ruined her life as well as Crystal and Lavey’s?

Well, that wasn’t fair. She hadn’t ruined their lives.

They… they were going to be fine without her. They had been for years, and it wouldn’t take them long to get over her. After all, she was always just the younger, annoying girl that hung around with all of them, sticking to the back of the crowd.

She wasn’t important, hadn’t ever been. She was just… she was just the ordinary one in the back.

She wasn’t going to be on their minds for long after this. They would move on, find someone else for each of them, maybe even multiple someones, and Ilesha… would still be here, still stuck in the same place because she wasn’t going to move on, was she?

She had  _ known _ that this was a bad idea, had  _ known  _ that this was going to be a mistake. She had  _ known _ that she wouldn’t get over them, had  _ known _ how it would end.

She… she had seen the way that they looked at her, had known that they were starting to like her after all of these years.

She had pretended that she didn’t see, but she had noticed.

When they had kissed her, it had been the best moment of her life, but even then all of the red flags had been planted. Their jealousy, their possessiveness, and…

Ilesha sighed and ran a hand over her face.

Despite how much she had wanted to kiss them, that wasn’t how she had wanted to kiss them, hadn’t been how she wanted it to start.

She hadn’t enjoyed that they had done it in front of a crowded stadium filled with people and cameras that could see them.

Hadn’t enjoyed that she had had to awkwardly talk to the people afterward.

All she would have wanted was a confession in a nice, private place with nobody to see or judge them, where she could have felt comfortable having them in her arms.

She let her arm fall back onto the bed, and she wondered if it was possible for her hair to turn a darker shade than it already had.

Looks like it was, considering her hair now looked like the color of midnight.

She had always thought that she wouldn’t get a chance with them, but it turns out that she did. And for just one blissful moment when it started, she had thought that it could actually last.

Then things started to go downhill, like they always seemed to.

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

A relationship that started like that couldn’t end well, could it?

Something that was supposed to be built couldn’t stand on a weak foundation, even if she tried to take all of the weight on herself.

At some point, her back was going to break and it was all going to fall on top of her.

And it finally did, and she didn’t know if she could pull herself out of the wreckage.

She rolled over on the bed and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head as she started to cry.

She hadn’t cried in a few days, hadn’t wanted to disappoint her friends that were helping her, the friends that she had worked so hard to get and knew would leave her too. It was only a matter of time.

She was always the person that nobody ever missed. She was fun when she was there, but nobody searched her out.

She grabbed her pillow and held it against her chest, shoving her face against it and starting to cry until it turned into a sob, choking on air as she clutched it tighter.

She had known that it wouldn’t last, but she had always thought that they would come to their senses and realize that she wasn’t everything they thought that she was. 

But instead, she had cut it short. She had been waiting for the time they would drop her, for the moment when they would decided that it ended, just like they had decided when it started.

None of it had been on Ilesha’s terms, and she had been fine with that, had been fine with not getting to decide.

But, as time had gone on, she had started to realize that no matter how much she loved them, there was no way that she would be able to continue this without tearing herself apart.

There were footsteps behind the door and Ilesha scrambled, trying to make it look like she was asleep, but she was still crying when the door opened. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn’t have to watch what was about to happen.

Wouldn’t have to watch the rejection that was to come.

“Sparky? Are you okay?” Jin asked.

Ilesha let out another sob.

Of course it had to be Jin. The person that she needed most, her best friend.

And now she was going to lose her too.

“Y-yeah! O-of course I’m alright, Jinny! H-how about you just go back to your room and check on R-Romy. She needs you, after all.”

Jin sat down on the bed next to Ilesha gently, reaching over to put a hand on her arm.

“But you do too. Just because she’s my girlfriend doesn’t mean I’m going to just ignore my best friend. Now come on, what’s going on?”

Jin tried to twist Ilesha so that she could see her face, but Ilesha curled up tighter, not wanting her to see her tears.

Despite that, Jin got a glance, and her eyes widened.

“Sparky, hey, what’s wrong?” Jin asked, laying down next to Ilesha and tentatively tried to curl up around her.

“Me.”

Jin stared at her for a moment, eyes going wide.

“Wait, what?!”

“Me,” Ilesha spoke a little louder. “I’m the problem, aren’t I? That’s why I had to let them go, isn’t it? Everyone around me has to leave, because I’m never enough to keep them there, never enough to keep them with me. Never enough for them.”

“For Crystal and Lavey?”

Ilesha nodded before she shook her head.

“For anyone.”

Jin pulled her closer, starting to speak, but Ilesha tore herself away, still crying.

“Please. No. Don’t…”

“What did I do?” Jin asked gently, though she looked sad.

Ilesha squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Of course she was hurting Jin too. That’s what she did, isn’t it?

But she knew that Jin was going to pull away too.

“It’s me. Still me.”

“Sparky, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Jin said hesitantly. It was clear that she meant it, but it was also obvious that she didn’t entirely know what was going on.

“But… but I’m going to! I  _ know _ I am, because it’s what I do. And then I’m going to lose you, and my friends, just like I lost them!” Ilesha said, clutching herself around the waist tightly.

“You’re not going to mess up, Ilesha,” Jin said gently, reaching one hand out and putting it on her own. “Sure, you can be annoying and you’ve tased me more times than I can count, but you’re sweet, kind, and one of the best people I’ve ever met. You put up with them and their bullshit for longer than I can believe. You gave yourself to them entirely, and they just took and took without you telling them what was happening. What happened wasn’t your fault, and maybe… maybe it was just never meant to be. It’s not because of anything you did, and I can  _ promise _ you that there’s someone, and maybe even  **several** someones that are just waiting for you to open their eyes to the greatest love in this world, and I promise that you’re going to change their lives for the better because  **_that’s_ ** what you do.”

Ilesha looked up at Jin for a moment, blinking back tears.

Jin pulled her into her arms and put her head on top of Ilesha’s, rocking back and forth gently.

“That’s what you do. You make people better. You forced Crystal and Lavey to get along for as long as you could, made both of them more caring people, you made me a better leader, and you helped Romy so much. Not to mention how supportive you’ve been of Saffron. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known, and nobody here is going to leave you alone.”

Jin pulled out her scroll while Ilesha grabbed onto her jacket, crying against her.

Jin messaged Aella first, knowing that her sister would be the fastest to get the word out.

Sure enough, not even a minute later, dozens of people raced into the room, Aella throwing open the window and flying in while others jumped out of the vents.

They all grouped around Ilesha, giving her compliments and reassuring words as they spoke until Ilesha was surrounded by their positive reinforcement and hugs.

She found herself starting to believe them, even if it was a shock to hear.

Maybe… maybe it wasn’t her after all.


	37. Ordinary

Aella took a deep breath and readied herself. Today was the last day that they were going to be at Menagerie, and she was rather nervous. Some of her friends had been acting… odd over the last few days to say the least.

Aella was trying to focus on helping her friend Ilesha, but it looked like there were distractions.

Not that they were distracting! Or… well, they weren’t  _ too _ distracting. Obviously they were distracting her, but not in any way that deserved for her to really think about it and consider what that meant because that would take time and effort.

Time and effort that wouldn’t be a lot considering her subconscious was already trying very hard not to think about all of that because it was confusing and concerning and chaotic and a lot of other words that started with that that made her very… rattled and flustered and other words that she was too rattled and flustered to think up.

Currently, she was in the vents, having slipped into them after Zohra had tried to track her down, saying something about going out to the beach with her.

The idea had been tempting, but Aella had felt her flight or fight response occur, and she was a natural flier, so she automatically went with that.

She held her breath for a moment, poking her head toward the vent door to see if anyone was looking.

She let out a breath of relief when she saw that there wasn’t anyone close, but she apparently missed something, considering she lowered herself from the vents and hit the ground-

Only for someone to be standing right in front of her, grinning. Or, well, it wasn’t a grin, but Aella refused to believe that this was a smirk. No, Raelynn wouldn’t be pointing that smirk that she reserved only for her girlfriends on Aella, because… well, she was Aella.

Raelynn leaned closer to her, and Aella let out an awkward laugh, taking a step back subconsciously and causing herself to hit the wall with her back.

Crap. She had trapped herself.

Raelynn immediately took the opportunity to get closer, tipping onto her toes so that she was closer to Aella’s height.

Aella let out another laugh and reached one hand up to run through her hair before fixing her cloak with the other.

“Uh… hey, Rae, what… uh, what are you up to?” Aella’s eyes darted to the side for a moment as if looking for a way out of the situation, but Raelynn reached over and grabbed her by the hand, causing Aella to let out a quiet sound of shock.

“I was looking for you, actually.”

“Y-you were looking for me?” Aella asked hesitantly, her face flushing.

“Well, I always am, but right now in particular.”

Aella let out a little chuckle, calming her racing heartbeat.

“What for?”

“I had something for you to fix,” Raelynn said, giving her a fond smile.

“Oh? What is it?!” Aella got a little excited, bouncing after her as Raelynn guided her through the hallways as Raelynn continued to hold her hand.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Raelynn replied playfully, glancing back and almost missing a step when she saw the adorable look on Aella’s face.

Aella laughed at the look that Raelynn gave her, causing Raelynn to whip her head around.

Raelynn walked faster down the hallway, dragging her to her room and shoving the door open to reveal that Cassandra and Braelyn were waiting for them, grinning.

“Uhhhhhhhh…,” Aella took a moment to look around and try to find what needed fixing, but she saw nothing wrong with the picture. “What am I supposed to be fixing?”

“We’re lonely, fix it,” Raelynn said, giving her a playful look.

Aella hesitated for a moment before she laughed.

“Lonely? Rae, there’s  _ three _ of you here, I’m sure that you’re not lonely. Plus, it’s  _ great _ company,” Cassandra melted for a moment, leaning over and landing on her sister’s side. Braelyn pushed her off so that she couldn’t flop when Aella was looking at them. Cassandra caught herself, but she felt a gust of wind that grabbed her as well, stabilizing her. Aella gave her a small smile and a wave, and Cassandra flushed before she awkwardly waved back. Braelyn let out a snicker, and Cassandra kicked her in the ankle.

“Well we might have great company,  _ and _ there might be three of us, but… there’s always room for more, especially when it feels like something’s missing,” Raelynn said pointedly.

She was hoping that Aella would get the message finally. She was scared about how she would react, but she had just spelled out what they wanted. There was no way that Aella wouldn’t know what she meant, which meant that…

The ball was in her court. What she said next would tell them if they ever had a chance with her or if they would spend the rest of their lives having to watch from a distance because of the awkwardness that they had caused between them.

Braelyn and Cassandra both held their breath and stared at Aella for a long moment, wondering what her response would be.

Aella hesitated, her eyes widening before she gasped.

“O… oh… oh!” Aella looked around the group. “I… think I can fix that, actually.”

Aella saw them all grin, relieved, and Raelynn tried to calm herself down.

Okay, this was the moment. She needed to make it perfect. Aella was right here, and her first kiss with both of her current girlfriends had been perfect, so she intended to be three for three after today.

She reached forward, trying to grab Aella’s hand, but Aella pulled back, grinning.

“I can totally fix this, just give me two minutes and I’ll be right back!”

Aella shot out of the room after a minute, grinning in excitement.

They were lonely, maybe something had happened and they needed some company because of something sad, but Aella could fix that.

But not on her own! After all, she herself wasn’t much company, so she needed more people!

She raced through the halls and lifted into the air, looking for the first people she could think of.

Abdera, Zohra, and Kesey.

There was no reason that she thought of them first. Of course not. But she did.

She let herself fall to the ground when she saw the first two, Zohra and Kesey, and grinned.

“Zo! Kes! You’re exactly the people I need right now!” Aella cried excitedly.

“Right now in particular? Why I’m offended that you don’t need me  _ all _ the time,” Kesey replied, smirking.

Aella laughed awkwardly before she shook her head.

“No, I’m serious, Kes. I need you.”

Aella reached out and grabbed both of them by the hand.

Zohra and Kesey both froze for a moment, glancing at one another with a mixture of anxiousness and excitement.

When they looked back to Aella, she threw herself into the air, carrying them with her and taking off down the hall at full speed.

They both cried out in shock, and Aella just let out a laugh, dropping to the ground when she saw Abdera and giving her a grin.

“Fine if I borrow you for a second?” she asked.

Abdera laughed awkwardly.

“You can borrow me for as long as you like!” she said loudly before she winced.

Aella didn’t seem to notice, but she reached out and tugged her into the air with her semblance after a moment before she took off as well.

They all landed outside of the room Aella had left the three in, and she burst into the room with a grin.

“I brought reinforcements! There’s no way that you’ll be lonely now, not on our watch!” Aella said triumphantly, hurrying over to the bed with the others and grabbing Raelynn around the waist to hold her. “No way you can be lonely in such a big group, right?”

Raelynn flushed immediately, groaning internally.

Of course.

Of  _ course _ Aella wouldn’t realize what they meant.

How had she thought that would work?! This was  _ Aella _ , not some regular person.

If she wanted to tell her…

She was going to have to just say it.

But the idea terrified her, and she was distracted by Aella pulling her closer while the others grouped around, not entirely sure why they were here, but more than willing to help.

Raelynn sighed and glanced at Braelyn and Cassandra for a moment to see if they were as defeated as she was.

Braelyn smirked as she pulled closer to Abdera before she gave Raelynn a commiserating look.

Cassandra, on the other hand, had flopped the moment Aella brushed against her, and she didn’t seem like she was going to get up anytime soon, considering she was laying quite contently on Aella’s other side, sandwiched between her and Zohra.

Right.

This was going to be a lot harder than she had initially thought.

But… at least Aella had failed in a way that was  _ more _ than appreciated by the others.


	38. Annnnd we're back!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates, I was SUPER sick, not COVID, but like... yeah didn't have the energy, but I'm back! Love you guys!!!

Today was the day that they were all headed home, and Aella was pretty happy with herself! She was excited to get home, but she had also been able to help Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra through a tough time they had and bring a bunch of her friends closer together! She couldn’t believe that she had pulled  _ that _ off, but she was still pretty smug. She hopped onto the airship with a skip to her step, grinning and glancing around.

Romy was already asleep and leaning against Jin, who gave her a fond look and wrapped an arm around her shoulders fondly. Saffron went to wrap an arm around Jin and pull her closer, but hesitated when she noticed Yvenne sit next to her. She took a second to think before she turned around and started to talk to Yvenne about the concert a few nights ago. Yvenne seemed very excited, and she was talking back to Saffron just as enthusiastically. Aella was happy to see that Yvenne had made some friends in their group over the break, and she was about to walk over and join the few, but she noticed that she was getting waved over by Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra, who were seated at the other end of the airship.

She walked past a few others, grinning and letting her cloak billow behind her. To her right, Romelle and Adolpha were snuggled together, Romelle sitting in her girlfriend’s lap and every once in a while messing with her hair playfully while Adolpha laughed and swatted at her hand, though she never actually hit it.

Rosemary and Akio were sitting nearby Saffron, leaning against each other and discussing something quietly before Rosemary smacked her boyfriend on the arm playfully and rolled her eyes, but she didn’t pull away in the slightest.

Ilesha was sitting on her own a bit, though she had on a grin. Aella could immediately tell that it wasn’t real, and she froze, glancing over at Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra. She wanted to join them, yes, she found that she would want nothing more than to do so, but she glanced back at Ilesha and saw that her hair was still a dark shade of black. Aella turned away from the other girls, giving them one last apologetic look, before she took a seat next to Ilesha, leaning over and putting her head on her shoulder.

“Whatcha thinkin?”

Ilesha glanced back at her, her hair lightening just a bit.

“Not much. You know me.”

Aella frowned and shook her head, leaning closer and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“I  _ do _ know you, and I know that you’re always thinking. You don’t have to tell me, but I know that something’s going on up here.”

Aella reached up and ruffled her friend’s hair, making Ilesha laugh a little, her hair almost turning to a light shade of brown at the action.

Aella noticed that Lavey and Crystal had entered the airship, but she ignored them, making sure to subtly turn Ilesha so that she wasn’t looking at the pair and instead focused on her.

“I guess I’m just a bit… I don’t know…”

“Sad?” Aella asked.

“Well, obviously,” Ilesha laughed and gave her an eye roll. “But… it’s just hard, you know? Making this kind of decision and wondering if it was the right one.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. I  _ know _ it was the right decision. You can’t put yourself in that sort of situation and expect to be happy. You did the right thing not just for you, but for them. You needed to put an end to it all.”

Ilesha glanced at her and smiled a bit, though her eyes watered.

“Thanks, I really needed that, Aella.”

“I’m always here for you, whatever you need.”

She sniffled and put her head on top of Aella’s and let out a shaky breath.

“I know… thanks.”

“Anytime.”

The ship touched down a few minutes later, and the Belladonna-Schnees started to get off of the airship. Aella wanted to invite Ilesha over to stay with them, but her sisters were going to be there, which meant that would just be counterproductive… so she settled on grabbing her in a tight hug and promising to call her later. Auburn and Clover were having a touching goodbye filled with gentle smiles and chaste kisses. Next to them, as if to juxtapose them, Adolpha and Romelle were making out, Romelle having climbed into her arms and starting to deepen the kiss.

Neo grimaced and reached up, grabbing her daughter by the collar of her shirt and yanking her out of Adolpha’s arms. Romelle screamed like a decomic creature, almost hitting the ground, and Adolpha blinked in confusion for several moments, trying to figure out what happened. Yang put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, shaking her head with an equal mixture of fondness and frustration before pulling her away.

Romy and Jin shared a kiss before Saffron did the same, giving her a fond smile before carrying Romy back onboard. Lavey and Crystal looked up, trying to catch Ilesha’s attention, but Clover had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started bringing her back in, blocking her view subtly.

Aella was about to head into the house, joining her siblings (Akio being the only one that had yet to say goodbye to his partner(s), as he and Rosemary were still talking about some show they had marathoned together last night), but a hand reached up to put itself on her shoulder, and she turned back around, surprised to see Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra standing near the entrance to the airship.

“Hey!” Aella said, though she was a bit confused and looked around for help, but there was none that she could find, considering Zohra and Kesey were watching from the airship, glaring for some reason. “What’s up?”

“We were wondering if you wanted to come with us to the next gig.”

“Yeah! I thought we’d all be going! Except maybe…,” Aella trailed off, not finishing her sentence and giving them a small knowing look, hoping they’d understand.

It seemed like they did, but they also looked frustrated. Did they want Crystal and Lavey to come? But what about Ilesha? Weren’t they worried about how that would affect her? Maybe they hadn’t put that together. Not everyone was as good at reading emotions as she was.

“Well, yes, we would all be going, but would you like to go  _ with _ us?” Cassandra asked, giving her a small smile.

_ Do they mean like… in the same car? Cause I was thinking about flying… _ , Aella thought.  _ But I could totally drive if they wanna go together! Ilesha’s taking a small break so maybe I can fix up the motorcycle before we go! Yeah, I can take them that way! They’re small enough to fit, but they’d probably have to hold on tight… _ Aella found herself grinning and she reached up, pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear and her smile turned a bit shy.

“Uh… yeah I’d love to go with you to the next gig… maybe we can do something after?”

Aella didn’t notice the fear and disappointment in Zohra and Kesey’s eyes, nor the unbelievable excitement from Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra.

All three tackled her in a hug and she laughed awkwardly, blushing and holding them all up until they let go, hurrying back to the airship and waving at her with fond expressions.

Aella skipped back into the house with a wide grin.

She had some  _ great _ friends, didn’t she?


	39. The Motorcycle Ride

Aella took a deep breath and pushed herself out from under the motorcycle and rolled to her feet, stretching her back for a moment. She wasn’t wearing her cloak at the moment, not wanting to get it covered in grease. She glanced across the room, giving a wide grin before wiping her hands on her pants.

“There ya go, Saff! Good as new!” Aella said. She ran a hand through her hair after a moment, glancing to the side.

About fifteen minutes ago, the airship had started to take off, but Saffron hopped off, holding Yvenne around the waist lightly, and dashed over to get Aella’s attention. She wanted to take Yvenne back to her apartment, considering Yvenne didn’t want to be flown there, but her motorcycle needed some work, and she had Aella fix it before she could take her back.

For some reason, Raelynn, Cassandra, Braelyn, Zohra, Abdera, and Kesey had all hopped off too, saying something about walking home afterwards. Aella guessed that they were interested in mechanics too, and she wondered if she could show them about it later. The idea excited her, but she didn’t say anything at the moment, not wanting to get too excited and scare them off.

Aella didn’t notice that all six of them were staring at her in absolute shock, eyes wide as they watched her intently.

They couldn’t remember the last time they had seen her with her cloak off, and working on a car too? Well… they couldn’t blame one another for being a little distracted.

Saffron seemed to notice, and she held back a laugh, rolling her eyes at her sister before turning to Aella and giving her a quick hug.

“Thanks, and good job.”

“No problem! And good job? It was routine maintenance, Saff.”

“Not for that,” Saffron replied, giving her a wink before turning around to Yvenne and passing her a helmet. “Ready?”

Yvenne nodded wordlessly, staring up at Saffron as she put on her helmet and hopped onto the motorcycle.

Yvenne followed after a moment, not even noticing the wave she got from Aella, nor the way Aella glanced over at her little audience with confusion.

Saffron roared out of the garage, and Aella laughed awkwardly at the six girls.

“Soooo… you wanna talk about motorcycles?”

-

Yvenne had her eyes squeezed shut as she sat behind Saffron, holding her around the waist tightly. She hadn’t expected a motorcycle to be so terrifying, but she guessed that at least it was Saffron driving. She was a Huntress in training, right? Vytle Tournament winner, right? She said that at least three times a day, so Yvenne guessed that was comforting.

Saffron’s tail was wrapped around her as well, and Saffron squeezed her with it reassuringly when they reached a stop sign. Saffron glanced back, raising an eyebrow.

“Aw, c’mon, Yvenne, the best part of the ride is the view,” Saffron said.

Yvenne let herself open her eyes, and she found herself looking up at Saffron, who gave her a small smirk and a wink.

“See? Isn’t that better?”

“Yeah…”

“Told you!”

-

Saffron pulled up to the apartment complex, skidding a bit, and put her leg on the ground.

She hesitated for a moment before looking back at Yvenne.

“You know you can let go now, right?” Saffron asked.

Yvenne glanced around, realizing they were back at the apartment, and flushed, letting her go.

“Right! Sorry!”

Saffron snickered and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry, Ven, I don’t mind.”

Yvenne was about to respond, but she didn’t know for the life of her  _ how, _ when the door swung open.

Yvenne saw that her exchange family had all walked out, except Pandora, who must have been at work… too bad.

Vander came out to meet Yvenne, and she almost tripped down the stairs on her way, Torey grabbing her by the wrist to stabilize her.

“Hey, you already fell for her once, try not to do it literally,” Torey muttered, bumping her shoulder with her own.

Vander flushed and shoved her adoptive sister with her arm, causing Torey to almost fall over, but she was able to catch herself at the last moment.

Saffron reached up to take off her helmet, shaking out her hair with a small smirk. She turned back to look at the group, not noticing that Yvenne was watching her from behind.

Vander’s eyes widened and Torey started to cackle, but Vander smacked her sister on the arm.

“Yvenne, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Xylia asked, smirking a bit as she watched Yvenne.

Yvenne jumped.

“Wh- right! Sorry! Saffron, this is my fa-friends, these are my friends, and this is Saffron.”

Xylia covered her mouth with one hand, not noticing that Saffron’s eyes had zeroed in on her.

Vander was trying to work up the courage to say something to her celebrity crush, and Yvenne glanced at her, frowning in confusion.

“Hi, I’m Saffron, like she said,” Saffron held out her hand for Xylia, “and you are?”

“Xylia.”

“Nice to meet you…”

Saffron saw a few more of Yvenne’s friends introduce themselves, but she was focused on Xylia, trying to find a moment when she wasn’t looking at her.

Vander introduced herself, but Saffron didn’t seem to be paying attention, and she cursed herself internally for thinking that Saffron would pay attention. She was a  _ very _ well known rock star, it’s not like she’d pay attention to her…

Vander was staring at Saffron very intently, and Yvenne glanced over, her eyes widening.

Didn’t Vander know that she shouldn’t be staring at Saffron like that? Saffron was in a relationship with two  _ very _ sweet girls, and she shouldn’t be staring at her like that. Nobody should be.

While Yvenne was busy sending a glare toward Vander, Saffron took the opportunity to pull her scroll out of her pocket and take a picture of Xylia before sending it over to Rosemary, smirking to herself.

Saffron hurriedly put her scroll back, not wanting anyone to notice, and turned to Yvenne, giving her a grin.

“Gonna miss seeing you, even if you can be a little pain,” Saffron said playfully, messing with her hair and letting out a laugh before climbing back onto her motorcycle. “You know, maybe you should come to a gig sometime soon.”

“Yeah! I’d, uh, I’d like that.”

Saffron waved to her before driving off, leaving her standing and watching her leave- that is before her friends tackled her with hugs and questions that she  _ really _ didn’t want to answer. For instance, she was  _ not _ looking forward to answering the thousands of questions she was going to get from Vander about Saffron.

Still… it was good to be back.


	40. Girlfriend Training (Part 1)

Lavey and Crystal had, understandably, not slept great. Afterall, the two of them had been broken up for a while now, and they were starting to realize that… Ilesha didn’t have any intention of taking them back, which meant that the two  _ might _ have fallen asleep crying and planned to stay asleep for several hours longer than would be healthy.

But, instead, they were woken up  _ far _ too early by a splash of cold water to the face. They both jumped up, Crystal’s tail poofing out as she screamed. Lavey almost fell out of bed, barely catching herself.

Auburn stood at the end of the beds, glaring down at them.

“Get up.”

“What?!” Crystal cried, eyes wide as she tried to wipe her face off, shivering in the cold.

Lavey checked the time.

Four in the morning.

Why in the world was Auburn awake?! And, more importantly, why was he waking them up?! There was no reason for him to be doing this!

“Auburn, get out!” Lavey hissed.

She glanced around the room, expecting to see that her other sisters had woken up at some point, but they were all still fast asleep. She realized how very quickly, given the fact that they were all wearing earmuffs (Adolpha was actually wearing two, and she was curled up in a ball on her bed with a content smile on her face as she held her pillow tightly. Lavey assumed that she was probably dreaming about Romelle, which made her stomach turn).

If they were all ready for this… that meant that they had all been planning this. For how long? And why? What was going on?!

“Get dressed, we’re going for a run,” Auburn said, not leaving any room for argument. He turned on his heel and stalked out. “Be ready in five or we’re doing an extra mile.”

Crystal and Lavey scrambled to follow him.

“Hey! You can’t tell us what to do!” Lavey hissed, arms crossed as she shivered. Crystal stumbled after her, yawning, and Lavey side stepped out of the way as she almost fell, not wanting to get hit herself. Crystal glared at her before rolling her eyes, as if she had expected such a response.

Auburn looked between the two with disappointment.

“Our moms said that all of us had free reign to do whatever was necessary to help you two get over your shit, so come on, we’re leaving.”

“We haven’t even changed!” Crystal hissed.

“You were too slow, come on, no breakfast. Run!”

Auburn pushed the two of them out of the door, Crystal still almost half asleep and yawning while Lavey tried to come up with some sort of way out of this.

“What are we getting over, exactly?!” Lavey asked, finding that Auburn had already taken off at a jog, making her have to race to catch up, Crystal stumbling behind her.

If it was Ilesha, she was about to snap at him, and she was sure that Crystal was too.

If there was one thing that the two could agree on right now, it was the fact that they were  _ not _ getting over Ilesha… even if she didn’t seem to have  _ any _ intentions of taking them back…

“Your inability to work together, now come on!”

-

Crystal and Lavey stumbled back into the house, panting. It was now seven in the morning, and they had run for… they didn’t know how far they had run, actually, considering they’d lost track in the first thirty minutes and… had also lost Auburn. He hadn’t changed pace the  _ entire three hours, _ not even for one little break! He wasn’t fast, but he wasn’t slow either… and it turned out that the whole time they’d been making fun of him for being the slowpoke…

He was just a persistence predator lying in wait to pounce.

They slumped at the kitchen table, falling over onto their chairs and breathing heavily.

Weiss looked up from her cup of coffee, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s your turn to make breakfast,” she said. “What are you waiting for? Your siblings will be up any second.”

“We… don’t take turns making breakfast?” Crystal asked, sounding confused as she glanced at Lavey, who frowned.

“We do now!” Yang said, grinning as she walked into the room.

“And, plot twist, it’s always your turn,” Ruby said, appearing in one of the seats next to them in a flurry of roses.

“What?!” Crystal cried.

“Yeah, go on, I’m hungry,” Blake said, waving her hand. As soon as Lavey hesitantly stood up, she took her seat, grinning at Auburn. “How was your run, dear?”

“It was pretty good! Not as far as usual, but you know, it took forever for some reason,” Auburn said.

“That’s alright, I’m sure you can make it up tomorrow,” Blake said, ruffling her son’s hair with a fond smile.

He laughed and rolled his eyes before fixing his hair and glancing around.

A few moments later, he was on his scroll, grinning to himself as he messaged someone.

“Is that Clover?” Ruby asked teasingly.

“Yeah…,” Auburn stared at his phone lovingly.

Crystal and Lavey, who were scrambling around the kitchen trying to get bowls and cereal together, hesitated, a familiar sorrow filling them.

Their siblings joined them in the room soon, and Adolpha seemed to be the only one not glaring at them.

“Cy, Lav, you wanna join me for a movie night tonight?” Adolpha asked, sounding innocently.

They hesitated before sharing a smile and nodding. It seemed like almost everyone was mad at them, but at least Adolpha was being nice!

Speaking of everyone being mad, however…

“Hey! I’m up next!” Jin called, having finished her breakfast. “Come on, we’re going to the garage.”

-

Jin held open the door for the two, smirking to herself.

They walked in, and Jin slammed the door behind her, crossing her arms against her chest and glaring down intimidatingly.

“I’m not sure  _ how _ you managed to do this, but you were able to make Ilesha  **sad** . Now… you’re going to feel the wrath,” Jin took a deep breath, as if she was about to regret what she was going to say, “of Jinny.”

She put them to work immediately, and their training session lasted for two grueling hours.

The two of them were not particularly buff, given the fact that Crystal spent most of her time in the back of combat as support and Lavey used her semblance to get most of her power in times of crisis, but… Jin seemed intent of fixing that, considering how much weight they had been lifting for the past few hours.

Lavey hadn’t even been allowed to use her semblance, and Jin had threatened to break her Aura if she ever caught her doing so… so Lavey hadn’t, which was a surprise even for her.

But… at least that was over. The worst had passed, right? The most vengeful of their siblings had already gone, right?

Wrong.

-

Aella gave both of her sisters a grin.

“So, I know the whole family is being rough on you, but there’s no reason to worry! I’m just going to be working on this old motorcycle that Auburn got out of that ocean, so I’m just going to need you two to hold this flashlight and pass me the materials!” Aella smirked. “So… who wants to hold the flashlight?”

Lavey stepped forward immediately.

“I’ll do it.”

Crystal glared at her, and she smirked.

Lavey didn’t know  _ anything _ about tools, so if Aella asked her for one, she knew that she would get the wrong one and possibly annoy their sister. She  _ definitely  _ knew how to hold a flashlight, right?

Wrong again.

“I SAID HOLD IT HIGHER, DAMNIT!” Aella screamed, still working on the motorcycle and not missing a beat.

“I-I thought that I was!” Lavey said, reaching onto her tiptoes to try to get it higher.

“I forgot you were so damn short!” Aella groaned, reaching one hand out to wave it around.

Lavey let out a strangled cry as a cyclone of wind picked her up into the air, holding her a few inches higher and position her correctly.

Meanwhile, Crystal passed her a screwdriver.

“A screwdriver?” Aella asked, her voice dangerously quiet. “I asked for a wrench. What idiotic creature possessed you to make you pick up the  _ screwdriver _ ?!” Aella snapped, throwing it back onto the table a few feet away.

“I-I’m sorry-I didn’t mean to-”

“Try again, and do better this time!” Aella snapped, waving her hand and throwing Crystal back over to the table with a gust of wind.

This continued for a further two hours, during which the two scrambled about, trying their best to do as Aella asked while Aella yelled at the two of them.

Aella was having a grand old time, however, and she thought that she had gotten through a lot of the work on the bike! Having someone to yell at really got the frustration out! Also… she may or may not have had them clean off the ocean grime from the motorcycle, and that was a  _ great _ time saver.

Lavey and Crystal, however, were on the verge of tears by the time they were thrown out of the garage.

-

Akio was the next to steal the two of them, and he sat them down in chairs side by side in the kitchen, pacing in front of the table with a small smirk.

“Umm… what are we-”

“You’ll only speak when asked a question,” Akio said, glaring. “Now we’re starting with a test.”

“A what?!” Crystal hissed.

“A test, and I said not to speak unless answering a question! I just need to calibrate what you need to learn… or, rather, how far behind you are… so this should be fun!”

He puts down the tests, and there’s a loud thud.

There were at least fifty pages.

“The test will be timed, half an hour. Starting in three, two, one… now.”

They scrambled to grab their papers and pencil, the stress already filling them as they started to read questions ranging anywhere from calculus to biology to history to basic English.

They didn’t understand any of it…

And it seems like they had… made several mistakes today… and it was just getting started.


	41. Girlfriend Training (Part 2)

The pair had  _ finally _ finished their work load with Akio, and they slumped into the room. At least Meriah was next. It’s not she could do anything worse than the others had, right?

They pushed open the door and stepped inside, surprised. The room was far cleaner than they remembered Meriah keeping it, and they glanced around, finding a small play table in the center of the room with Meriah seated at the end, though she was facing the other direction. She slowly turned to face them, a stuffed animal in her lap, which she stroked menacingly.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

The two glanced at each other, eyes wide.

What was going on?

“Please, take a seat,” Meriah said, gesturing at the two other seats that were vacant. There were five seats in total, one in which Meriah sat, two which they were supposed to take… and the final two, which were occupied by more stuffed animals.

They slowly sat down, having to crouch some to avoid hitting their knees on the table.

Lavey leaned forward some while Meriah started to speak.

“While everyone else is putting you to work, I thought that you could play with me some. I don’t know that many kids my age, and this-” Meriah stopped, her eyes darting to Lavey with a dangerous glint.

Lavey’s elbows grazed the table as she listened to her sister speak.

“Did you just put your elbows on my table?”

There was a silence, and Lavey glanced at Crystal, as if wondering what she should say. Crystal gave her a look of confusion and shrugged.

Lavey slowly took her elbows off, but it was too late.

“Oh, no, if you’re going to have the table manners of a chimp, why don’t you go all out? You want to hang upside down from the ceiling? You want a banana? You going to fling feces at me? Please, don’t stop yourself, it would be far less rude than disrespecting my table, which I invited you to. So go ahead.”

Lavey stared at her with wide eyes, her face flooding red as she glanced at Crystal, who was trying not to laugh.

Crystal leaned back in her seat, enjoying the show, but that was a mistake.

Meriah whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing again. She tightened her grip on the stuffed animal in her lap, Mr. Roar, and sat up a bit straighter.

“And you! You’re not much better! Look at you! You might as well be laying down! Why don’t you just lounge on the table and get in the way again?!” Crystal’s eyes widened and her face flushed pink, sinking in on herself. “Slouching isn’t better! Sit up straight!”

Crystal slowly sat up straighter, but she sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

“No crying at the table, dear.”

Crystal nodded slowly, and Lavey stared at her worriedly.

“Now… how about we get started with the basics?”

Crystal and Lavey shared a look of fear as their sister started to berate them for their table manners.

This was not going to be a fun “tea time.”

-

Crystal and Lavey were almost shaking when they left Meriah’s room, wondering how they could be so scared of their own younger sister  _ and  _ her stuffed animals… the Rabbider? He was a piece of work alright. Two and a  _ half _ sugar cubes, no more, no less. If it wasn’t  _ just _ right? Well… they didn’t want to think about it.

At least they had movie night with Adolpha. That was the final thing on their to do list today, and they were more than a little relieved to flop onto the couch at the end of the day.

Adolpha was already waiting for them, and she gave the two of them a small smile before she glanced over her shoulder at the door. She could hear footsteps outside that the other two couldn’t, and she launched herself off of the couch, vaulting over the back of it.

“Be right back!” she called. “Get comfortable, I made some popcorn!”

Adolpha returned a moment later, her arm wrapped around Romelle, who was leaning against her side with a loving look in her eyes.

Lavey and Crystal glanced at one another for a moment, eyes going wide.

They were surprised that Romelle had come too, but they supposed that wasn’t too big of a deal.

Adolpha glanced over her shoulder for a moment, smiling.

“Hey, they’ll be out in a few, go ahead and get comfortable!”

Saffron was the first to join them, Romy leaning against her arm with a fond smile and fiddling with Saffron’s glove. The next was Rosemary, who rolled her eyes at her sister and threw herself onto the couch.

“We better be watching a cartoon, Akio knows I won that last bet and he owes me.”

Saffron rolled her eyes and shoved her sister to the side, making room for Clover, who vaulted over and put an arm around Saffron’s shoulders.

Romy was already laying her head on Saffron’s lap and staring up at her lovingly while Saffron ran a hand through her hair, still enjoying the short haircut she had gotten rather recently.

Jin shoved Clover out of the way and curled up next to Saffron, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Clover looked a little upset at having been shoved away from his friend, but he was moving closer to Rosemary-

Akio and Auburn shoved themselves in between the two, distracting their respective partners and leaning against them.

Crystal and Lavey stared in horror as all of their siblings and partners started to cuddle on the couch right in front of them.

So…

That was Adolpha’s plan.

They had to admit…

It was far more diabolical than anything they would have expected her to be able to come up with.

Under any other circumstances, Lavey might have even been proud of her sister, but this…

Crystal and Lavey sat next to each other silently and watched the movie, trying not to look at the others.

Needless to say…

Adolpha’s was the worst.


	42. The Plan

Today was a tough day, Ilesha had to admit. It had been a while since they had broken up now, but she was still trying to get over it. She wondered sometimes if she was ever going to get over them, and… she guessed that this wasn’t exactly the best place to be when she was having those sorts of thoughts.

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door in front of her, her fist clenched as her mind raced.

It was probably not good for her to be at the Belladonna-Schnee household, but Jin had told her that it would be alright, and she trusted Jin, so she guessed that it was alright… but still, the thoughts and memories of the time she spent with Crystal and Lavey here was almost too much.

She heard the door open and she jumped, looking up.

Jin was grinning at her, and she wrapped her in a hug immediately, pulling her close.

“How are you holding up?” she asked quietly.

“Not too well…,” Ilesha said, though her voice was muffled against Jin’s neck.

“Don’t worry, that’s why we’re here!” Aella’s familiar voice called as she jumped up, grabbing Ilesha by the shoulders and wrapping her in a hug as she hung a few inches off of the ground.

Ilesha smiled and leaned a bit closer to the two, her worries seeping away. It was nice to know that there were really other people that were there for her even in her darkest time. It made her feel a little bit better about having to leave Crystal and Lavey.

Akio was the next at the door, and when the two pulled away, Ilesha grinned at him, starting to wave, but he gave her a tight hug.

“Good to see that annoyingly bright hair of yours,” he muttered, reaching up to ruffle it a bit.

He let out a quiet curse when it shocked him, but he didn’t seem upset in the slightest.

The three guided her into the other room, and she was met with Auburn and Meriah, who had both set up a large array of snacks for the group, which she took gratefully, sitting down in the middle of the couch while her friends crowded around he, whether on the ground by her feet or by her side. Aella had taken the position of just laying across her lap.

The group was a good distraction for Ilesha, and she couldn’t help but think that things were going to get better now that she was starting to find a way to deal with what had happened, especially with so many people at her side.

She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Crystal and Lavey walk into the room and freeze, staring at her in shock.

Ilesha was grinning broadly, leaning against Jin with her head set on her shoulder. She was looking at Jin with a loving expression, playing with Aella’s hair idly with one hand while she talked to Akio distractedly. Auburn was entertaining Meriah, who was trying to interrupt the conversation so that she could talk to Ilesha.

Crystal and Lavey were still standing there a minute later, shocked by how… happy Ilesha looked. The smile, the expression, the fact that her hair was a light shade of brown that was inching closer and closer to blond the longer she talked to her friends…

Jin looked up suddenly, seeing that her sisters were standing in the doorway.

She locked eyes with Akio, who glanced over and glared.

He nodded, gesturing at Meriah, who grinned.

She threw herself into his seat as soon as he stood up, taking his place and starting to talk loudly, distracting Ilesha as well as she could while her brother went to talk to their sisters.

“You need to leave,” Akio whispered.

The two stared at him in shock, and he glared at them.

“Go on, I said leave, she doesn’t need you two trying to make up with her and get back together right now. She’s got a lot on her mind and she doesn’t need you two clogging it up more.”

They both stared at him in shock and hurt, curling in on themselves.

Ilesha was suitably distracted by her friends, which Akio made sure to double check before herding the pair out of the room.

Akio rejoined the group a minute later, and they spent the next couple of hours curled up there, Adolpha joining a little while later after helping put Lavey and Crystal to work on different chores.

-

Ilesha was asleep on the couch, having passed out about fifteen minutes ago when they were watching television. Jin shifted under her weight, turning to look at the rest of the group, which was watching Ilesha with a mixture of emotions, ranging from concern to joy that she was feeling better.

“I think we have to do it,” Adolpha said suddenly, shifting and trying to make sure her leg, which Ilesha was sprawled out on top of somehow, didn’t fall asleep.

“You think?” Akio whispered.

“What about Crystal and Lavey?” Auburn asked, though he seemed torn.

“It’s a gamble we have to take,” Jin whispered, grabbing Adolpha’s hand with her own, knowing how hard this was for her. “Either she comes back to them… or it was never meant to be.”

“But what if us interfering stops that?” Auburn questioned.

“She _needs_ us, Aub,” Adolpha hissed. “And she needs this… plus… they were her first girlfriends. Her first crushes. Maybe… maybe she just needs to see the world a little more.”

“That’s it. I’m doing it,” Jin said. “Tomorrow night, at the gig.”

Ilesha shifted in her lap, and Jin reached down, running her hand through Ilesha’s hair fondly for a moment and smiling down at her.

She was worried about her sisters… but she was more worried about Ilesha. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and watching her go through this was… it was painful to watch.

“I’m getting her a date.”


	43. In Too Deep

“Sooo,” Vander looked up and down at Yvenne, who was getting ready. “You’re going to the gig tonight.”

She nodded.

“Weren’t you supposed to go back to Vacuo today?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I can postpone a day.”

“Aren’t you excited to see Hunter?”

Yvenne hesitated as she grabbed her wallet.

“Of course I am, but… I can be there to support my friends first, right?”

Vander stared at Yvenne as she started to walk out of the room.

“Yeah, of course you can…”

Kylee caught Vander’s eye and she shrugged, adjusting her shirt so that it was more… appealing to the eye.

Vander gave her a disgusted look and shook her head before she turned around and walked toward the exit, following after Yvenne.

“Besides, we talk every night.”

“So do you and Saffron.”

“Yeah, I text my friends every night.”

Vander glanced at Kylee, who shrugged, putting on some black lipstick and smirking at her reflection.

Vander sighed and shook her head, realizing that Kylee wouldn’t be any help now that it was after seven. That’s when she started to go “on the prowl,” as she would put it, and that meant that she was incapable for any sort of higher level cognitive thinking for the rest of the night.

Yvenne, on the other hand… she still seemed distracted as she grabbed her scroll and sent a message, smiling to herself and shaking her head at something.

Vander groaned and rubbed at her forehead. Tonight was going to be a long night.

-

Jin smiled as she looked up at the stage, watching as Ilesha set up the stage. Her and the rest of the band were getting it ready, and the crowd was watching them all very excitedly and muttering amongst themselves about what they could possibly be playing tonight. Some were clearly worried that there was going to be more breakup songs, but others seemed hopeful that there would be something new played.

Jin glanced to the side, seeing Saffron waving at her, and she grinned, waving back and putting her hand on Romy’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

Suddenly, Jin felt a tap on her arm, and she jumped, looking to the side. Her eyes landed on Yvenne, and she smiled.

“Hey!” Jin said, Romy waving a bit awkwardly at the other girl.

“Hey,” Yvenne said, smiling a little bit and glancing at the stage.

“I thought you weren’t going to be able to make it!” Jin said excitedly.

“I shifted some things around,” Yvenne said, shrugging. Vander took a moment to glance at Yvenne, who just shrugged. “Nothing big.”

“Oh, good,” Jin said, giving her a small smile before turning to look at the bar, looking around for a cursory glance.

“You wanna go watch?” Romy asked, giving Yvenne a small smile.

“Yeah! Sure!” she said, shrugging.

Vander started to follow, but Jin caught the three before they could leave.

“Hey, Vander, I was wondering if you’d be interested in going on a blind date-”

“She’s kind of already interested in someone,” Yvenne said, watching Vander with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Yeah… gonna have to get over that,” Vander said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck and giving Romy and Jin a slightly concerned look.

“Perhaps with a blind date?” Jin offered

“No, no, I’m good,” Vander said, holding up her hands and shaking her head.

“Stop pestering her, Jin,” Romy said playfully, bumping her shoulder with her own with a small smile.

“Fine, fine, you three go ahead and watch…,” Jin said, turning to face the bar and thinking.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as the three walked off, and she lost herself in thought.

“Another gin, Jin?” a familiar voice asked. She glanced up, and she grimaced when she saw the familiar barkeeper.

“Hey, Kylee,” she said, leaning against the bar with a small, sad expression.

“Why the long face?” she asked, leaning closer to her with a raised eyebrow.

“One of my friends just had a breakup, and I’m trying to get her a rebound date.”

“Oh?” Kylee perked up at the words, grinning. “If that’s all you need, I’m sure that I can happily oblige.”

Jin looked up and raised an eyebrow.

“You would?”

“Yeah, sure, I’m always willing to try something new,” Kylee said, smirking. “Tell me about her.”

“Uh, well,” Jin hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Kylee who it was yet… it seemed like she was alright with the situation, so she supposed it wouldn’t be a big deal. “She’s about this tall,” Jin held up her hand a little below her head, “very energetic, a little bit on the… odd side, but that’s to be expected in this group… and she just went through a tough breakup, so she’s not really looking for anything serious.”

“Perfect!” Kylee beamed at her. “I don’t do serious!”

Jin paused for a moment, glancing at her in confusion before she shrugged.

“Anyways, she just wants to go out for a few dates, probably won’t last too long.”

“What’s she look like?” Kylee asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jin stared at her again for a long time before hesitantly starting.

“Uh, well, she’s got brown eyes… she… changes her hair a lot, but usually keeps it blond or brown.”

Kylee seemed like she expected Jin to go on, but she didn’t really know what else to say.

After a pause, Kylee spoke.

“Can I get a name?”

Jin took a deep breath.

“Ilesha.”

Kylee’s eyes went wide, and she almost dropped the glass that she had been cleaning, but she was able to catch it just in time.

“Like…  _ the _ Ilesha? Adax Band Ilesha?”

“That’s the one. That alright?”

“Alright?!” Kylee’s eyes grew distant as she looked at the stage, watching Ilesha with an expression that Jin did  _ not _ like seeing pointed at her friend. “That’s  _ definitely _ alright… I just didn’t know that she was… into this sort of thing.”

“Girls?”

Kylee stared at her.

“Not that, that was clear from Lavey and Crystal,” Kylee waved her hand, “I just thought she was more interested in… romance.”

“A couple of dates can be romantic.”

“Uh… a ‘rebound,’” Kylee used air quotes, “isn’t exactly romantic, Jin.”

Jin took a moment to think before her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with one hand.

“Wait, you meant…”

“I can still take her out a few times… see what happens,” Kylee shrugged, smirking.

“No, no, definitely not,” Jin said, shaking her head quickly.

“Why not?” Kylee asked, shrugging. “It’s not a big deal.”

Jin opened her mouth to respond, but arms wrapped around her waist and grabbed her.

“Guess who!” a playful voice called.

Jin immediately seemed to forget that Kylee was there, and she grinned.

“Hey, Sparky.”

“How did you know?!” Ilesha cried, pouting a bit as Jin leaned back to look at her.

“Because I could kind of see you, and you spoke. I recognize your voice, Spark.”

Ilesha sighed and put her head on Jin’s shoulder.

“Guess I’ll have to do something different next time,” she said, contemplating.

Kylee watched the whole exchange with shock, staring at the rock star with wide eyes.

Ilesha looked up, sensing the gaze from the barkeeper, and grinned.

“Who’s that, Jinny?” she asked.

Kylee wanted to respond, but she found that she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Don’t worry about it, Sparky, it isn’t important.”

Ilesha frowned.

“Now Jin, what did I tell you about being mean to people?”

Jin sighed and rolled her eyes.

“All people are important, don’t insult them,” she said, speaking as if she was quoting something.

“That’s right! Now, my name’s Ilesha,” she reached out with one hand and held it invitingly toward the bartender. “What’s your name?”

“Kylee,” she said after a moment, hesitantly taking Ilesha’s hand.

“Nice to meet you! I really like your name, it’s pretty.”

Kylee didn’t know why, but the words made her freeze, and she stared blankly at Ilesha, not knowing what to say.

Ilesha gave her hand one last squeeze after an enthusiastic handshake.

Kylee slowly pulled her hand back, though she looked like she wanted to still have Ilesha’s in her own.

“So, what were you two talking about?” Ilesha said, humming to herself.

“Nothing important,” Jin said.

Kylee didn’t know why, but she panicked as she stared into those beautiful caramel eyes.

“She wanted to set me up on a date with you,” Kylee said, speaking far too quickly.

A date?

Yes, she wanted to go on the date that Jin had offered. She was  _ definitely _ not opposed to going out with the sunshine figure in front of her, and she was already scrambling to think of a restaurant they could go to…

“Oh…,” Ilesha hesitated, glancing between the two awkwardly.

Kylee thought it was undeniably adorable.

“Yeah, but she wasn’t interested,” Jin said quickly, giving Kylee a dark glare while Ilesha smiled.

“That’s alright! I’m  _ definitely _ not everyone’s type, and that’s not a problem!”

“No, that’s no-”

Kylee panicked, eyes going wide. No, that’s not what it was. She was  _ definitely _ interested.

“That’s alright! You don’t need to explain, I don’t think that I’m ready for a relationship anyways, but you seem like a very nice girl!” Ilesha pulled a bit away from Jin and leaned against the bar with a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll find someone, don’t worry!”

Kylee was worrying, but not because she wanted to find someone.

She had  _ never _ wanted to find someone. Never wanted to settle down. Never wanted to find “the one” as Xylia had always put it.

But…

As she stared at Ilesha, her heart raced in her chest, and her face flushed bright red.

“Oh, uh… thanks…”

“Of course!” Ilesha said, reaching out and putting her hand on top of Kylee’s own.

Kylee’s heart stuttered and she felt her hand start to sweat.

“W-would you like to hang out sometime? I-I mean, like-”

“Sure!” Ilesha beamed at her and reached out to grab a napkin before she hesitated.

“Jinny!” Ilesha all but whined. Kylee was staring at her and couldn’t bring herself to look away.

“What?” Jin asked, her arms crossed against her chest with a small frown. She clearly didn’t like what had just transpired, but Kylee didn’t even notice, still ogling Ilesha.

“Do you have a pen?”

“No.”

“Aw, come on, Jinny, I know you always have one.”

Jin glared at Kylee for a long moment.

“Hey, don’t be mad at her for not seeing me as her type, it’s fine! We can be friends, right Kylee?”

Kylee winced and smiled at her.

“Yeah…”

“Fine,” Jin said, gritting her teeth.

“Thanks!”

Ilesha grabbed the pen and scrawled a series of numbers on the napkin before passing it over to Kylee.

“Message me sometime!” Ilesha said, looking like she was going to continue, but a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned, and Kylee was able to look away just enough to see who had taken Ilesha’s attention off of her.

Her eyes widened when she saw nothing but a glove hovering in midair, seeming almost impatient.

Jin stared at it, starting to smile before she rolled her eyes fondly and shook her head.

Ilesha laughed and looked at the two.

“Sorry, gotta go! Love ya, Jinny! Call me sometime, Kylee!”

Ilesha grabbed the glove and was tugged into the air, just before a large group of onlookers started to rush toward her, having realized that Ilesha had snuck into the crowd.

Kylee watched her fly overhead and land back on stage beside Saffron, whose glove shot back onto her hand.

“Alright, dudes and dudettes!” Ilesha called, Zohra looked at her sister in disappointment while the rest of the band winced, gaining a loud cheer from the crowd. “Who’s ready for a gig?! We’ve got some special songs ready for tonight!”

There was deafening cheering, and Kylee was still staring up at the stage at Ilesha as if she was in a distracted haze.

After a moment, she was able to shake herself out of her stupor.

“Uh… about that date, Jin…”

“No.”

Kylee’s eyes widened.

“But-”

“No! I saw the way you were looking at her. Stay away, don’t call her. I’m not going to let someone else break her heart, alright?” Jin was glaring vehemently, and Kylee swallowed, nodding slowly, but she regretted it.

Just then, she heard a now familiar voice start to sing, and her heart raced. How had she never realized how beautiful Ilesha’s singing voice was?

She had  _ loved _ the band before, but now… it was like hearing the voice of an angel.

“Used to be scared of the ocean,” the song was slow, and Ilesha sang low, but Kylee was undeniably entranced, “'cause I didn't know how to swim.”

Kylee couldn’t help herself as she sighed, staring up at the stage.

“I took one sip of your potion, now I'm just divin' right in.”

Kylee couldn’t believe that she had missed the opportunity to go out with  _ Ilesha Ajax _ ! And now just that, but…

“I heard your siren's call, it was beautiful.”

She thought that she might just have…

“ I am drowning, but please don't save me.”

Oh shit.

Kylee’s eyes went wide and her heart stuttered in her chest.

No. No, no, no, no, no way.

“I'm in too deep! Can't touch the bottom with my feet!”

While Ilesha sang, Kylee panicked, but she still couldn’t tear her gaze from the other girl.

“Don't know what you did to me, I can't breathe but I'm living.”

Kylee couldn’t believe it.

“I'm in too deep! Can't touch the bottom with my feet!”

She, for the first time in her life, thought that she might have…

A crush.

“Don't know what you did to me, I can't breathe but I'm living.”

And on the worst possible person to get a crush on!

“I heard your siren's call, it was beautiful!”

Kylee’s eyes darted down to the piece of paper that Ilesha had given her, and her face flushed.

“I am drowning, but please don't save me.”

She… might be in a little over her head on this one.


	44. Did You Get All That?

Vander glanced to the side at Yvenne, who was standing between her and Romy and staring up at the stage with a grin.

“So… you like their music?” Vander asked.

Yvenne glanced at her for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah, but I think I prefer Saffron singing.”

Vander glanced at Yvenne.

“Ilesha’s the lead singer.”

“I know, but I think that Saffron’s better,” Yvenne said, shrugging. “Have you heard the playlist she made for Romy?”

“Yeah, I have, several times, but every time that I tried to get you to listen to it, you said no.”

Yvenne glanced at her and shrugged.

“Yeah, but… I finally listened to it. It’s good. You were right.”

“I usually am.”

The song, In Too Deep, ended, and Yvenne looked up, eyes glowing with excitement as Saffron grabbed her microphone, starting up the next song. Yvenne stood up a bit straighter, looking at her intently. Romy had on a love struck grin as she looked at her girlfriend, and Saffron looked down, locking eyes with Romy and giving her a smirk.

The music started up, and Saffron started to sing. Vander found herself disinterested in the singer, instead staring at Yvenne. Something about meeting Saffron in person had ruined the magic of the crush, and she guessed that it hadn’t even been that, considering how quickly it had dissipated.

“I got a girl crush.”

The crowd started to laugh and cheer, and Saffron had trouble not laughing herself. She had always thought of this song as a joke.

“Hate to admit it, but I got a heart rush… ain't slowing down.”

Yvenne glanced at Romy, who was currently staring at Saffron like she’d put the stars in the sky.

“I got it real bad, want everything she has!”

Yvenne smiled a bit and leaned closer to Vander and Romy.

“I love this song,” she said.

Romy glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, and Vander tried not to laugh.

“Did you have to fight another girl to get with your boyfriend?” Romy asked, snickering.

“What? No, we’ve been friends for… as long as I can remember, and one day he just asked me out, and I said yes.”

Vander hesitated, but she didn’t say a word.

“That smile and that midnight laugh she's giving you now.”

At the bar, Jin started to laugh a bit, shaking her head fondly as she watched Saffron.

“I want to taste her lips, yeah, 'cause they taste like you!”

Romy snorted and Vander rolled her eyes at the song.

“I want to drown myself in a bottle of her perfume.”

Romy blushed and glanced at the jacket she was wearing, which Yvenne now realized must be Saffron’s considering it was far too big for her.

“I want her long blonde hair, I want her magic touch.”

Kylee leaned forward and stared at Ilesha from the bar, an enamored expression on her face.

“Yeah, 'cause maybe then, you'd want me just as much.”

Crystal and Lavey were both in the back of the bar, trying to blend in as they watched Ilesha on stage.

“I got a girl crush. I don't get no sleep, I don't get no peace thinking about her… under your bed sheets.”

Romy let out a quiet laugh and glanced back at Jin- only to find that Jin was still glaring at Kylee.

“The way that she's whispering. The way that she's pulling you in.”

Crystal and Lavey glanced at Jin before their eyes landed on Kylee, who was staring at Ilesha. They both hesitated and glanced back at Ilesha… who gave Kylee a subtle smile and a wave, which made Kylee flush a bright red.

“Brothers know I've tried! I can't get her off my mind!”

Yvenne glanced at Romy and then looked back at the stage, smiling at Saffron and waving. She didn’t expect a response, but Saffron waved back after a moment with her glove, which was off of her hand, and gave her a wink.

“I got a girl crush, hate to admit it, but I got a heart rush… it ain't slowing down.”

Yvenne felt her scroll buzz and she pulled it out of her pocket, irritated at the interruption.

She looked at her scroll for a moment, finding that Hunter was calling her, and she took a moment to think before she put it next to her ear.

“Hey, ba-”

“Hey, sorry, I’m busy, gotta go, call you later,” Yvenne said, ending the call and slipping her scroll back into her pocket.

Vander glanced over at Yvenne, her eyes going wide.

“Was… was that Hunter?”

“Yeah, why?” Yvenne asked, glancing at her for a moment before she looked back at the stage.

“Hunter, as in your boyfriend, Hunter Crutchfield.”

“Yeah, why?”

“You just hung up on him?!”

“Yeah…”

“When was the last time you talked to him?”

“Uh… yesterday? Day before?”

“And you hung up on him?”

“I’ll call him afterwards,” Yvenne said, waving her hand dismissively.

Vander stared at her, but she was distracted by a loud squeal.

“Yvenne!”

Yvenne jumped, looking to the side before catching sight of Cooper, who was grinning like a madman as he raced over and threw his arms around Yvenne’s waist, picking her up into the air.

“It’s so good to see you!” he cried.

Yvenne laughed awkwardly and slowly wrapped her arms around him too.

“Yeah, I missed you.”

Cooper finally set her down and waved at Romy before his eyes fell on the unfamiliar form.

“Hey! My name’s Cooper! You’re one of Yvenne’s roommates, right?” he asked, giving her a wide grin.

Vander looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow.

He wasn’t that impressive to look at, honestly, and Vander found herself wondering how this small child could be a hunter, in training, but she decided not to mention that, considering it’d be a  _ really _ bad first impression.

“Yeah, name’s Vander,” she said.

He grinned at her and glanced at Yvenne.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Cooper said.

Vander glanced at Yvenne and glared.

“All good things, all good things!” Cooper said consolingly. “It’s good to finally meet you!”

“Uh… yeah, you too,” Vander said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

Cooper leaned a little closer before his expression lit up.

“Oh my Dust! I love your piercings!” he said.

Vander grinned after a moment. She had a  _ lot _ of piercings, mostly because her parents hadn’t wanted her to get them when she was younger, so when Xylia had taken her in, she had gotten as many as she could. She had several on her Faunus ears, wrapping all the way down them, a septum piercing, and one on her eyebrow.

“Thanks,” Vandre said as Cooper started to look at them.

“I really like the ear ones! They’re really pretty!”

Vander looked at him with a small, confused expression before she found herself smiling again.

“Thanks…”

She glanced at Yvenne, wondering if she was noticing this too, but Yvenne was still staring at the stage, and Romy didn’t seem to notice, glancing behind her at Jin.

Romy let out a sigh and shook her head before starting to head to the bar and joining her girlfriend, who was trying to get Kylee’s attention, though it wasn’t working very well considering she was still staring at Ilesha intently.

Vander tried to subtly get Yvenne’s attention, but she was distracted by Aella, who, quite literally, dropped out of nowhere, landing beside her with a grin.

“Hey, Yvenne!”

She jumped in shock, tearing her gaze away from the band and raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, Aella,” Yvenne took a moment to glance to the side, noticing that Cassandra, Braelyn, and Raelynn were all at her side.

Raelynn rolled her eyes when Aella finally landed before she slipped her hand into Aella’s own.

Yvenne’s eyebrows raised, and she glanced between the four.

Braelyn grabbed onto Aella’s other arm and leaned against her side, almost as if possessively, giving Yvenne a warning glare. Meanwhile, Cassandra leaned against Aella’s front, flopping into her arms immediately.

Aella was a little bit surprised, but she put her hands on Cassandra’s waist, holding her up.

Yvenne glanced at Vander, but she noticed that she and Cooper were still chatting, despite Cooper having waved very excitedly at Aella when she landed nearby. He seemed like he didn’t want to interrupt the group, and Yvenne couldn’t blame him, all things considered.

“I didn’t know you four were together now,” Yvenne said casually, trying not to show how excited she was for her friend.

Raelynn had a smug look on her face and she put her head on Aella’s shoulder, starting to open her mouth. Braelyn, meanwhile, had started to nod.

But the two froze when Aella spoke.

“What? Oh, no, we’re just friends!”

All three froze, and Cassandra even sat up a bit, glancing back at Aella with complete disbelief.

Yvenne glanced around at the group, and, for once, she was able to read the room.

It seemed like  _ Aella _ thought this was a platonic get together… but the other three  **definitely** did not.

Yvenne stared at Braelyn, Raelynn, and Cassandra for a long moment before she slowly turned back to the stage, but not without giving them a sympathetic look.

“Hey, Brae, Cass, can I talk to you for a second?” Raelynn asked, gritting her teeth.

Aella glanced at the other two, clearly lost from her expression, but she didn’t say anything as the other two pulled away and followed their girlfriend to the side diligently.

Aella watched them go with a slightly sad expression, as if she was wondering what she’d done wrong. Yvenne sighed and rolled her eyes before patting her on the arm consolingly.

Cooper glanced at Aella for a long moment before turning back to Vander.

“Wait, you have a motorcycle?!” Cooper cried, grinning in excitement and starting to bounce up and down on his toes.

Vander stared at him and nodded slowly, seeming as if she wasn’t sure what to think about Cooper quite yet.

“Yeah…”

“Can I see it?”

“I guess?”

“Cool!”

Cooper grabbed her hand and let her lead him out.

Vander glanced back at him after a moment, considering.

_ So he’s definitely flirting with me, _ she thought.  _ And he’s cute… I guess that if he asks me out I can say yes… _

-

Braelyn groaned and covered her face in her hands while Cassandra paced in front of her sister, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

“How could this happen?! We asked her out  _ so directly _ ! There was no room for confusion!” Raelynn snapped, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

“We didn’t  _ technically _ say it was a date,” Braelyn said, though she was slightly muffled by her hands.

“It was so clear though!”

“We didn’t technically say it, so Aella didn’t know,” Cassandra said, throwing up her hands. “You know her, she doesn’t do subtle.”

The pair sighed and nodded before starting to trudge over to Aella, who looked excited that they were coming back.

-

Cooper sat down on the ground next to the motorcycle, grinning like a child on Christmas morning.

He reached out and put his hand on the motorcycle’s wheel, and Vander stared at him, eyes wide.

Cooper started to giggle, and he glanced at her.

“Wait! Is it alright if I talk to your motorcycle?”

“What?” Vander asked, staring at him in shock.

“Right! Sorry, my semblance lets me talk to machines, so… is it alright if I talk to your motorcycle?”

“Uh… yeah, sure?”

Cooper grinned and sat cross legged in front of the motorcycle, putting his hand back on it and starting to have a conversation.

“It’s good to meet you too!”

There was a beat of silence.

“Yeah, she is.”

Vander stared at him.

“Yeah, I really like her piercings too.”

Silence.

He started to giggle.

“A sweetheart, you say?” Cooper asked, side eyeing Vander after a moment.

Vander flushed.

“Hey, don’t let that thing fool you,” she said, glaring at her motorcycle.

Cooper gave her another laugh and settled back into the conversation.

_ Alright… yeah, definitely going on that date… even if he’s a bit… odd… _

-

Kylee leaned against the bar, staring up at the stage with a lost expression.

A crush…

Never had one of those, and the sensation was… odd.

She’d never looked at a girl for more than… well, the stuff you could very prominently see with your eyes, that’s for sure.

“Hey, you.”

Kylee jumped, pulling her eyes away from the other girl and seeing…

“Hey, Harleen.”

Harleen leaned against the bar with a sultry smirk, eyeing Kylee up and down.

“What’re you doing tonight?” she asked.

Jin, who was still at the bar glaring at Ilesha, glared harder and looked between the two girls.

“Or, should I say wh-”

Kylee flushed and glanced at Jin before glaring at Harleen to shut her up.

“I’m busy tonight, Har.”

“Aren’t you usually  _ busy _ ?”

Jin seethed.

“Not like that, Har!” Kylee hissed.

Harleen seemed surprised, and she glanced around the bar, clearly trying to find the girl that Kylee was trying to get back to her apartment tonight, but she came up empty and confused.

“You sure?”

Before Kylee could respond, another figure hurried up to the bar, grinning so brightly that it almost hurt to look at her.

“Hey!”

Kylee stumbled over her words when she saw her, and she leaned against the bar… but her technique was off, and she almost slipped off of it before Ilesha caught her arm, keeping her steady.

“H-hey!”

Harleen leaned further onto the bar, watching the interaction with a smirk.

“Who’s this?” she asked.

Ilesha looked away from Kylee, her grip on her arm loosening the instant she saw the way Harleen was looking at Kylee.

“Oh! My name’s Ilesha, but keep that quiet, I’m trying not to get surrounded… I  _ might _ have snuck off stage to talk to you guys,” Ilesha said, giggling before making a “shush” gesture with her finger. “What’s your name?”

“Harleen, pleasure to meet you.”

Ilesha glanced between her and Kylee, who closed her eyes and quietly prayed to the brothers that Harleen would keep her mouth shut around Ilesha.

“Are you two…”

Harleen smirked.

“I guess you could say that.”

Kylee cursed under her breath.

“No, not rea-”

“Oooh, is that why you said no?”

Jin nodded quickly, sensing the opportunity, and Kylee cursed her for it.

“N-”

“That’s alright! You don’t mind if we talk, right, Harleen?” Ilesha asked, giving her her best grin.

Kylee’s heart just about stopped.

“Definitely not.”

“Great! Well, I just wanted to say goodbye, Kylee! Call me sometime!” Ilesha said, waving at her before grabbing Jin by the hand and dragging her out of the bar, Romy at her side.

“What was all that about?” Harleen asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Kylee.

Kylee’s head thumped against the counter and she let out a long groan.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Good, if you didn’t want to meet up tonight I didn’t really want to talk.”

Harleen waved at Kylee before sending a wink and walking off.

-

**When are we trying again?** Cassandra whistled, though it was almost a whine.

**Soon, alright?** Raelynn really didn’t want to snap, but it had been a long night, and she was struggling to not just grab Aella’s face and kiss her right then and there.

**Guys, stop whistling in front of her, she looks sad,** Braelyn whistled.

The two glanced over at Aella, who looked a little lost and dejected. They both sighed and shared a look before stalking out of the bar with her.

This… was going to be difficult.

-

Vander smiled at Cooper a bit shyly, pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear. She wondered if she should pull out a bisexual pin from her bag to make sure that he knew she was interested in guys…

“Well, it was nice talking to you and your motorcycle! Bye!” Cooper said, jumping to his feet when he saw Aella exit the bar and starting to head toward her.

Vander’s eyes widened in shock, and she scrambled to catch his attention.

“Uh, hey, you wanna… hang out sometime?” she asked hesitantly.

“Sure! Here’s my number!” he said, pulling a pen out of his pocket and looking for something to write on.

He didn’t seem to have any paper, and Vander sighed, sticking out her arm and trying not to look too desperate.

She had been  _ sure _ that he was going to ask her out…

But now that she thought about it, he hadn’t done anything inherently romantic… and… was he even interested in girls?!

Her heart sunk as he grinned in excitement and scribbled a few numbers onto her arm.

“Bye, Vander!” he said, dashing off with a wave over his shoulder.

She watched him go and slowly brought her arm to her chest, the number near her heart as she flushed red.

Shit.

Kylee was never going to let her hear the end of this, was she?


	45. Can't Sleep Love

Kylee was still staring at the door Ilesha had walked out of when Vander walked up to the bar, staring at her.

“Didn’t expect to see you here not making out with some random floozy.”

Kylee glanced at Vander and forced a laugh.

“Right… let’s just go, alright?”

“You get shot down?” Vander asked, holding her arm against her side as if to cover something from being seen.

“What?!” Kylee flushed. “No!”

Vander saw straight through her.

“Wow, first time for everything,” she said, smirking.

Kylee took a deep breath and pushed past Vander.

“Come on, let’s go.”

They walked outside, only to find that Yvvenne is still staring down the street, towards the direction that Jin and her girlfriends had left.

Yvenne glanced back at them and seemed surprised that they were already leaving, seemingly having lost track of time.

The ride back to the apartment was silent, and Vander thought it was odd that Kylee didn’t have some girl holding onto her on the back of the motorcycle and giggling while whispering things in her ear and making Kylee grin in anticipation.

-

When Vander pulled into the parking lot, Kylee scrambled off of the motorcycle and hurried inside, not looking at Yvenne or Vander once and trying to stay as quiet as possible. Vander was still hiding her arm from view, and Yvenne seemed suitably distracted, seeming to remember that she had to call Hunter and excused herself to the room she’d been sharing with Vander after a while.

Kylee flopped onto her bed, locking the door behind her and wondering if her family was going to be questioning her on why she didn’t have a “friend” over in the morning.

She groaned at the word “friend,” hearing it in Ilesha’s voice.

She didn’t know how the girl had gotten under her skin so quickly, but she still couldn’t get her out of her mind after all of these hours, and it was driving her inside.

She slowly reached into her pocket and tugged out the napkin, wondering if she was really going to do this.

She could call it quits right here and now, stop thinking about Ilesha, never message her, and just… go about her daily business like she hadn’t just gotten her very first crush…

And yet, she had already typed in the number to her scroll and she started to send her first message.

Kylee: Hey. This is Kylee

Ilesha: Hey!! I didn’t know if you were going to message!!

Kylee glanced at her scroll and thought for a long moment.

Kylee: This is a bot, isn’t it?

Ilesha: A what?

Kylee: A bot. You know, a robot that replies to messages for you. I doubt THE Ilesha Ajax would give some random girl at a bar her number.

Ilesha: I’m not a bot!

Kylee: That’s what a bot would say.

Kylee put her scroll down for a moment, shaking her head and groaning. She was so  _ stupid _ for having thought that there was some chance that she would have gotten her real number…

Her scroll buzzed, and she reached over to pick it up, making herself pick her up off of the pillow.

Ilesha: Pick a random object.

Kylee: What? Why?

Ilesha: Just pick one.

Kylee thought for a moment before rolling her eyes.

Kylee: A spoon.

Ilesha: Okay! One sec!!

There was a long pause, and Kylee started to wonder if there would be a response, but sure enough…

There was a ding, and she picked up her scroll, opening the new messages. As soon as she saw them, her brain stopped, her eyes going wide as her heart raced.

There were four pictures of Ilesha waiting for her. The first was her with a spoon on her head, a wide grin as she waved her hand, the motion a blur in the photograph. Was her hair a brighter shade than it had been earlier? Kylee guessed it was likely the lighting. The second photo was her doing a silly pose, holding up a peace sign and sticking out her tongue. The final two photos were clearly accidental, as the spoon started to fall off of her head and she scrambled to catch it, almost dropping the camera and covering it slightly with her thumb.

Despite that, Kylee couldn’t stop staring, and her face turned a bright shade of red as she did so.

_ How can she be this cute?! This is  _ **_totally_ ** _ unfair! _ Kylee thought.

She was frozen for another minute before another message went through.

Ilesha: Believe me now?

Kylee wanted to respond, but her body was still in a state of panic, and she couldn’t figure out how or what to say.

Kylee finally made herself move, but not to respond. She raced out of her bedroom, eyes wide as she searched.

“MOM!” she called, throwing herself over the couch and almost dislodging Vander from it.

Vander let out a strangled cry of shock and tried to trip her, but Kylee was far too fast.

She skidded to a stop when she saw Xylia in the kitchen.

“What is it, problem child?”

“I need your help.”

“How come you only call me mom when you need my help?”

Kylee ignored the question and glanced around at the others before she grabbed her mother by the hand and dragged her out of the room.

“What do you need? Can’t I relax?”

“I need your help! This girl sent me some pictures and I don’t know how to respond-”

Xylia grimaced in disgust.

“I am  _ not _ going to help you respond to some ‘pictures’ that some girl sent you.”

Kylee took a moment to realize what she said before her face flushed.

“N-not that kind of photo. See?”

Kylee held up her scroll to show the photos, and Xylia stared at it blankly.

“Is… is that Ilesha Ajax?”

Kylee found herself smiling fondly at the name, and she sighed in a lovesick manner.

“Yeah… she gave me her number and we just started messaging and I realized that people aren’t not stupid for having feelings for other people and I think I’m in love please help me I don’t know what to do.”

Kylee had spoken so fast that Xylia took a moment to decipher all of it, and when she came to the end, her eyes widened in shock.

“You’re WHAT?!”

“I think I love her, please help, she messaged me and I don’t know what to do.”

Xylia stared at her for a long moment before slowly starting to smile.

Kylee stared at her, still in a blind panic.

Xylia burst out laughing, falling over on the table and howling with mirth, shaking her head.

Kylee flushed further and glared at her.

“Stop laughing and help me!”

“I can’t- sorry, it’s just… you’ve… you’ve been talking to her for… for what? Ten minutes?! And you think you’re in love?!” Xylia collapsed into laughter for a few more minutes before she was able to speak again. “Your first crush! Aw, it’s like you’re in elementary school finally! You grew up! So mature!”

Kylee stalked out of the room, hearing Xylia’s laughter follow her.

“Is she okay? I haven’t heard her laugh like that since Waseem fell down the stairs!” Torey said, raising an eyebrow as she watched Kylee.

“No, she’s not okay, she’s a bitch is what she is!” Kylee snapped, slamming her door behind her and falling back onto the bed.

She stared at the message for a long moment before she sighed.

Kylee: Yeah, I guess.

Ilesha: You sure? I can give you more proof!!

Kylee considered it for a moment, imagining what sort of adorable pictures Ilesha might send, but she stopped herself.

Kylee: No, I believe you. Just… surprised.

Ilesha: Why?

Kylee: I didn’t know rock stars just gave their numbers out to anyone.

Ilesha: Not just anyone! You’re special!

Kylee froze, feeling herself blush again as her heart raced.

She’d never felt like this before, and she had just met this woman…

Kylee: Aren’t you a charmer?

Ilesha: Yeah, I’ve been told that before. Don’t feel like it lately, but I try! Everyone deserves to feel loved.

Kylee almost missed the second sentence, having been so distracted by the last one.

Kylee: Wait, what about lately?

Ilesha: Nothing, don’t worry about it. Just had a rough few weeks, that’s all!

Kylee: Is it about the breakup?

Ilesha: You heard about it?

Kylee: One of my roommates is a big fan of your band.

Ilesha: Cool! Maybe we can sign some stuff for them some time!

Kylee: Yeah, maybe. But… about the breakup, do you want to, like, talk about it?

Kylee regretted the message the moment she sent it, wondering if it was too invasive. She had never been great with small talk, especially with women that she was… interested in, one way or another. She’d never really had to worry about talking to them about their day or anything about themselves, but Kylee found herself wishing to know every little detail about Ilesha…

She sounded pathetic, didn’t she?

Ilesha: Would… would you mind?

Kylee couldn’t stop herself from staring at her phone with what she  _ knew _ Vander would describe as heart eyes.

Kylee: Go ahead.

Kylee thought it would be weird if she said that she would listen to Ilesha tell her whatever she wanted, so she didn’t.

Ilesha: Thanks! I knew that there was a reason you were special.

Kylee held her pillow tightly against her chest, sitting cross legged and putting her chin on top of the pillow and holding the phone in front of her, staring at it as she watched Ilesha type.

Ilesha: I had to break up with Crystal and Lavey recently, and… I don’t know, it seems like everyone around me expects me to be over it, and Jinny even tried to set me up tonight, but I just don’t think I’m ready. Everyone wants me to be back to normal and I’m just… not.

Kylee reread the message three times, scrambling to make a response in her mind. How was she supposed to reply? What did she say?!

Kylee: You just broke up, there’s nothing wrong about it. Breakups can be hard.

Kylee didn’t mention that she didn’t have any personal experience.

Ilesha: Yeah, especially when you’re not certain if you should have done it.

Kylee: What happened exactly?

Kylee cursed in her head. Not because Ilesha wasn’t available… but because she was sad.

Kylee groaned. She was in  **way** over her head.

Ilesha: Well, like you know, they were sisters, and I thought that since their parents were able to date the same women that they would learn how to work through it, but they just… kept fighting, and I knew that it was tearing them apart, so I had to end it to make sure it didn’t hurt their relationship anymore. And… I just couldn’t take seeing the wedge I’d created between them by accident.

Kylee covered her face with the pillow and took a deep breath.

Okay.

She could put her feelings aside for a minute to help, right?

Of course she could! She had to!

Kylee: If they were hurting you, then that’s a perfect reason to break up with them. You don’t have to feel bad.

Ilesha: Thanks, Kylee, but… I don’t know, I just… I miss them, even though they were always arguing. I’m hoping to find some distractions. So… tell me about yourself!

Kylee screamed into her pillow.

How could one person be this precious?!

The rest of the night was filled with the two of them messaging until they realized it was six in the morning.

Ilesha: Oh! I need to get some sleep! Message me when you wake up!

Kylee: What if I’m up before you? Don’t want to wake you up.

Ilesha: Oh, you won’t! I’m waking up at eight and I’m going to down an entire pack of energy drinks before getting through the day!

Kylee thought it was a funny joke, but then again, she thought every joke Ilesha made was hilarious.

Kylee: Alright, I’ll probably wake up at two. Night.

Ilesha: Night!

Kylee was about to put her scroll down, but she got one final message, and she  _ obviously _ couldn’t stop herself from looking at it.

Ilesha had sent a picture of herself waving, her hair a brilliant blond shade that almost seemed to glow in the dark room.

Kylee flushed and put her scroll down, rolling over in bed and closing her eyes to go to sleep.

-

It didn’t work well, and she rolled out of bed, exhausted, at eight in the morning, grabbing a giant cup of coffee and starting to drink it.

“You look like you had a rough night, how much did you sleep?” Xylia asked.

“I didn’t.”

“What? You usually seem more smug when you say that.”

“I was messaging Ilesha until six, and then I couldn’t sleep afterwards.”

Xylia frowned.

“Why?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about her, that’s why!” Kylee snapped, slamming her hand against the counter and causing Xylia to jump. “She’s the only thing I can think about! I’m going crazy!”

“So… you’re  _ actually _ serious about this girl?” Xylia asked, eyes wide.

“Yes! I told you that I think I’m in love with her!” Kylee hissed.

Xylia burst out laughing again.

“I’m not joking!”

“I know! It’s amazing!” Xylia cried, collapsing onto the counter and shaking her head with more laughter.

“You’re the worst,” Kylee hissed, pulling out her scroll and messaging Ilesha goodmorning.


	46. Finally

Aella grinned and hummed to herself. She had been working almost nonstop on the motorcycle for the last few days.

“I can’t remember the last time I slept, I don’t know what day it is, and I think that I can hear colors, but… I’m finished!”

Aella spun around and grinned at her guests, though she had to reach out and grab the wall to stop from toppling over.

Raelynn, Braelyn, and Cassandra had all come over to see her finish after she’d invited them, and she bounced up and down on her toes, almost tipping over, but she caught herself.

“Hun, when was the last time that you slept?” Braelyn asked tentatively, glancing at her sister and girlfriend.

“I just said that I don’t remember, keep up, Brae! It’s like you’ve been up for a week straight or something.”

“Aella, that’s you,” Cassandra said.

Aella blinked.

“Right. Either way, I’m finished! Who wants to go on the first ride with me?!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t-”

“Aella, how about you take a na-”

Raelynn cut both of her girlfriends off, beaming.

“I will!”

Aella clapped her hands.

“Great! Let’s go!”

Aella reached forward and grabbed Raelynn’s hand, pulling her closer with a tug.

Raelynn almost tripped, but Aella caught her, and she looked up, her mind going blank. Aella was inches away, and she couldn’t help but stare into her eyes, lost to the world.

Aella was in a loose flannel shirt, seemingly having forgone her cloak for the time being, with the sleeves rolled up. Her hair was messily tied back, and she had on an excited grin as she leaned closer. It was clear from her expression that she was exhausted, but she was still undeniably enthused.

“Rae, no, don't go on the road with her, you don’t know when she last slept,” Braelyn said quickly, dashing forward.

“I’m fine to drive!” Aella said excitedly. “Don’t worry, you trust me, right, Rae?”

Aella turned to her, still holding her hand with her other hand on her waist. She gave her best smile and leaned a bit closer.

Raelynn was suddenly ready to agree to anything she asked.

Aella wobbled for a moment on her feet, eyes fluttered closed for a moment before they shot open and she yawned.

Raelynn felt less inclined to agree, suddenly.

“Maybe you should take a nap real quick, Ally…,” Raelynn said gently.

Aella looked betrayed and started to pull away, moping.

“But the motorcycle’s fixed, and I was excited to ride it… with you…”

Raelynn almost broke at the words, wondering  _ just _ how dangerous it could be… after all, they were both huntresses in training with Auras…

Braelyn slapped her in the back of the head, bringing her back to her senses.

“And so am I, but first you need to  _ sleep. _ Don’t want you to go and forget about this…”

“I’d never forget about it,” Aella said, sounding hurt.

Raelynn flushed and pointedly looked away.

“Come on, you need to get cleaned up and  _ sleep. _ ”

“When was the last time you ate?” Cassandra asked as they guided her into the house.

“Umm… yesterday.”

“Ally, sweetie, love, do you know what day it is?” Braelyn asked gently.

“Tuesday.”

“Wh-”

The three froze.

Raelynn was about to correct her, but Braelyn held up a hand.

“Dear, what’s the date?”

“The third.”

They all gaped.

“Aella, it’s Sunday, and it’s the eleventh.”

Aella blinked.

“Huh?”

“Okay, have you slept?”

“Not since… three days before Tuesday.”

“HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!” Cassandra snapped, gaping at her.

“Uh… I breathe in oxygen and convert it to carbon dioxide through a process called cellular respiration, but I also need glucose, which I obtain from-”

Braelyn put her hand over Aella’s mouth.

“Okay. Sleepy time.”

“Are you sure? We could still go for a…,” Aella hesitated. “A… a vroom vroom?”

“A ride?!” Raelynn cried.

“Yes! That! Don’t you want to go on a ride with me?” Aella asked, squeezing Raelynn’s hand.

Raelynn flushed.

“Yes, but once you’ve taken a nap. Come on.”

“Wait.”

They all stopped, glancing at Cassandra.

“Wasn’t the gig on Monday?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Mhm! That’s… that’s the only break that I took…,” Aella muttered, smiling woozily.

They all flushed and rolled their eyes, dragging her down the hall.

They didn’t get Aella to her room before she was asleep, but she was still clutching Raelynn’s hand when she tried to leave.

Raelynn thought that a nap couldn’t be  _ that _ bad, especially with Aella wanting to lay next to her  _ and _ go for a ride with her motorcycle…

Raelynn just wasn’t expecting a forty-eight hour nap.

Then a snack break and a shower.

And then another twenty hours.

But, by the end of it, Aella was more energetic than ever, thanking the three of them for spending three days making sure that she was alright, but she wasted no time before dragging Raelynn out into the garage.

She checked the motorcycle and then hopped on, tossing Raelynn a helmet and beaming at her.

“Come on! We already wasted three days!”

“You don’t remember more than twenty minutes of the last three days, Ally,” Raelynn said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, but I was excited for those twenty minutes, and I’m excited now, so come on!”

Raelynn sat on the motorcycle behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, holding on tight.

Not because she was scared. No, she’d been in far more dangerous situations… but if it made Aella check on her just to make sure she felt safe  **and** let her hold on extra tight… well, Raelynn wasn’t going to complain.

The ride was short- or, well, it felt short, but any time she spent with Aella passed far too quickly.

She was holding her around the waist and putting her head on her shoulder. Aella kept trying to point out different landscapes and restaurants, but Raelynn would just hum and nod, not looking away from Aella’s face and letting herself pull closer with a fond smile.

Meanwhile, Aella was pouting and trying to get Raelynn’s attention.

Raelynn looked like she was about to fall asleep again, and Aella was trying to see if she was bored of the motorcycle ride, but whenever Aella tried to point out somewhere else they could go or something else they could do, Raelynn would just move closer and shake her head, a small smile on her face that seemed distracted.

Aella let out a sigh and started to turn her motorcycle around.

“Let’s get you back to the garage, alright?” Aella said, sighing and turning around. She had thought that Raelynn would be excited to share this with her… but she guessed that wasn’t that big a deal.

“What? Already?” Raelynn asked.

“Yeah, it’s alright.”

Raelynn scooted forward and made sure that she could look Aella in the eyes from the side.

“Aella, I can tell you’re dying to take me somewhere, so stop overthinking and take me there.”

Aella smiled and turned the motorcycle.

“Alright, so there’s this really cool place that Adolpha said she really liked and I wanted to take you there because I thought you would like it cause I know you like nice views.”

Raelynn sighed fondly.

“I do.”

She stared at Aella, but she didn’t seem to notice as she raced up a hill, skidding to a stop a few minutes later.

Raelynn immediately recognized where they were at.

She had been here a few times with Braelyn, and she was surprised that Aella had taken her here, but her heart was racing at the idea that maybe, just maybe, Aella had brought her to Love’s Peak for a reason. A  _ real _ reason.

She glanced at Aella as she stopped her motorcycle, watching as the other girl leaned forward on the handlebars and stared up at the moon, a small smile on her face.

“Isn’t the view just breathtaking?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Raelynn said, sounding suitably breathless.

Aella glanced back, grinning-until she froze, eyebrows furrowing.

“You’re not even looking, Rae,” she said.

Raelynn flushed.

“You haven’t been interested in anything I showed you today. Am I doing something wrong?”

Raelynn stared at her, leaning a bit closer as Aella sat up, swiveling on the motorcycle so that she could face Raelynn completely.

“No, you haven’t.”

“Then you’re missing Cass and Brae? I can take you bac-”

Raelynn was tired of the miscommunication, tired of the confusion on Aella’s end, tired of the mixed signals, so she decided that it was finally time that she make a very clear, impossible to misinterpret signal.

She leaned forward, grabbing Aella’s face in her hands, and tugged the other girl toward her.

“What are you-”

Raelynn silenced her with a kiss, reaching up to run her hand through the other girl’s hand gently, pushing it out of her face before pulling back, reluctantly.

Raelynn let her eyes open again, watching intently for Aella’s reaction.

It took a moment for Aella’s eyes to flutter back open, and when they did, she started to grin.

“Wow-wait,” her expression changed, and her eyes widened in fear. “Rae, what are you doing?”

Raelynn’s heart sunk.

“You have two  _ girlfriends,  _ what are you kissing me for?!” she hissed, pushing herself back a bit on the motorcycle.

Aella looked to the sides as if desperately searching for someone to explain it for her, but she found nothing but couples making out in their cars. Finally, her eyes landed on Raelynn hesitantly, imploring her for an explanation.

Raelynn gulped.

“If I can like two girls… I can like three, can’t I?”

Aella flushed and started to fiddle with her cloak.

“Do Cass and Brae know about it?”

Raelynn barely stopped herself from face palming.

“Yes, Aella.”

Aella fiddled with her cloak further before she glanced up shyly.

“Then… can we do it again?”

Raelynn stopped for a moment, shocked, before she grinned in excitement, drawing her legs up so that she could sit cross legged in front of her before leaning over and grabbing Aella’s cloak, tugging her down.

Aella let out a sound of surprise, and Raelynn sighed into the kiss, tugging her closer with a flutter of her heart. She suddenly realized that Aella hadn’t moved at all during the kiss, her hands held up beside her as if she was worried about whether or not she could touch Raelynn, which caused Raelynn to laugh so hard she had to pull away.

“Are you alright, Ally?”

Aella laughed awkwardly.

“Mhm.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…”

Raelynn sighed.

“You’re confused, aren’t you?”

Aella nodded slowly.

“What’s confusing you, Dear?”

“So… like… do you  _ like _ like me or…”

Raelynn gave her a kiss on the nose.

“Aella, dear.”

Aella wilted, looking down slightly, seeming almost sad.

“Sorry, I-”

“Aella, focus,” Aella looked at her, and Raelynn pressed their foreheads together, “I love you.”

Aella grinned and was about to reply, but she hesitated.

“As in-”

“Yes, I’m in love with you, Aella,” Raelynn said, rolling her eyes fondly.

Aella  **beamed** back at her and leaned closer, giggling.

“I love you too. Like… in love love you.”

Raelynn leaned closer and grabbed her face in her hands, kissing her again.

This time, Aella only floundered for a moment before setting her hands on her hips and pulling her close.

Raelynn couldn’t believe this was happening. Finally! She hadn’t just gotten her intentions across to Aella, but had also got to  **kiss** her! It was a dream come true!

When they pulled apart a while later, Aella giggled.

“Wow.”

Raelynn smiled at her fondly, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah…”

“Your other girlfriends aren’t going to get mad at me, are they?” Aella asked, sounding as if it was half a joke and half serious.

Raelynn laughed and rolled her eyes again.

“Definitely not.”

“Would… they get mad at me if I took you out on a date sometime?” Aella said hesitantly.

Raelynn laughed.

“No.”

“Great! So… would you like to go on a date sometime?”

“I would  _ love _ to go on a date sometime.”

“Great!” Aella kissed her again, quickly, and spun around on her motorcycle. “I can’t wait!”

“Me too…”


	47. I... Forgot

Aella pulled into the garage, giggling like a schoolgirl as she reached up and tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear.

“I had fun tonight, Rae,” she said, taking her helmet from the other girl.

“Yeah, me too,” Raelynn replied, breathlessly.

“I’m glad that you went for a ride with me… I’m glad it was you first.”

“Yeah… yeah, me too.”

Aella looked around the garage for the first time, seeing that Braelyn and Cassandra were staring at the pair.

“It was good seeing you guys!” Aella said awkwardly, waving at the pair, before she turned back to Raelynn, giving her another hesitant, hopeful smile. “And… I’ll see you this weekend, right?”

Raelynn felt her heart melt.

“Yeah. Just don’t lose track of the date, alright?”

“I won’t! Promise!” Aella gave her her biggest grin, the one that made Raelynn’s heart stop every time that she saw it. “Like I said, I could never forget something this important.”

“Alright, alright. See you this weekend, Ally.”

Raelynn leaned closer out of the view of her girlfriends, tugging Aella’s hood down and kissing her just out of their sight before pulling back. Aella let out another giggle, just like she had so far every time that they had kissed, and waved as the three left the garage, watching them go with a wide grin.

Raelynn slipped into the passenger seat of Braelyn’s car, a lovestruck smile on her face as she stared out of the window.

“Okay, what just happened?” Braelyn demanded as she pulled out of the driveway.

Raelynn sighed again, leaning onto her wrist and supporting it with her elbow as she stared in the mirror, watching the house shrink behind her.

“I kissed her. I kissed Aella! I got to  _ kiss  _ **_Aella_ ** !” Raelynn let out a cheer and smiled broader, leaning further against the window. “I got to kiss her, and we’re going on a  **_date this weekend_ ** !”

Braelyn swerved the car, almost going off of the road.

“YOU WHAT?!” they both cried at once.

“I know!” Raelynn squealed. “It was amazing! She was so cute and dorky… she even said she loved me back!”

“We get to date Aella!” Braelyn cried.

“I get to date Aella!” Raelynn cheered at the same time.

“We get to-” Cassandra froze. “Rae. Did you just say  **_you_ ** get to date Aella?”

“Yeah!”

“You did tell her that we like her, didn’t you?”

There was a beat of silence, and Braelyn stopped the car, pulling off to the side of the road.

“Rae. I love you. Always have. But if you did this I swear to the brothers I will throttle you.”

Raelynn hesitated.

“Uh…”

Cassandra stuck her head into the front seat, shimmying closer.

They both stared at their girlfriend intently.

“I… may or may not have forgotten that you both like her?”

“You might have forgotten WHAT?!” they both shouted.

“Uh…,” Raelynn looked out the window and saw her house down the street. “I love you guys sorry bye see you tomorrow!”

She threw herself out of the car and took off at a full sprint, dashing around the back of the house and threw herself over the back fence, falling to the ground in her yard.

“Did you just fall?!” Braelyn shouted.

“For Aella! Good luck!”

Raelynn slammed the door closed behind her, leaning against it with a sigh of relief.

Her scroll buzzed, and she glanced at the message.

Brae: Did she at least ask about us?

Rae: Yes.

Cass: What’d she say?

Rae: She asked if you would mind me dating her and you guys.

Brae: On your date you better tell her we’re interested.

Rae: No way!

Cass: WHAT?!

Rae: I have worked too damn hard to get into this position! She loves me, I’m not going to risk that!

Cass: You are the worst poly girlfriend ever.

Rae: Yes, but I’m the poly girlfriend to three amazing women, and I’m going to keep it that way.

Brae: You… RAE I TRUSTED YOU!

Rae: Love you two! Night, babes!

Raelynn turned off her scroll and raced up the stairs, skipping.

She felt her scroll buzz and was about to silence it, but froze when she saw that it was Aella that sent it.

She beamed in excitement, opening it.

Ally: Night! Love you! Can’t wait for this weekend!

Rae: Are you going to get sleep?

Ally: Sleep well!

Rae: Sleep or we can’t go out this weekend because you’ll pass out.

Ally: Alright, alright.

Rae: Love you. Also, I have something to talk to you about this weekend.

Ally: Are you breaking up with me? We just started dating.

Rae: No! Aella, seriously, stop asking that every ten minutes. It’s nothing serious.

Ally: Okay! Night!

Rae: Night.

Raelynn opened her other messages.

Rae: Stop complaining, I’ll talk to her… but you owe me.


	48. The Secret's Out

Hunter was  _ ecstatic. _ He was waiting at the airport, trying to stop from pacing back and forth in excitement. He had been waiting for the chance to see Yvenne for months! Ever since she had left, actually. Things had been a little bit difficult ever since she had flown out to go to school so far away, but this was just the chance he needed to get their relationship back in sync.

He took a deep breath, trying to get himself ready. Her plane had just landed, and he glanced around, his heart rate picking up when the doors opened. And… there she was. Her long blond hair, her beautiful blue and pink eyes…

He raced over and skidded to a stop in front of his girlfriend, grinning.

“Yvenne! Hey! It’s so good to see ya again! It’s been so long!” he cried.

“Hey, Hunter,” she said, giving him a small smile and a wave.

It was awkward, but he guessed that made sense, she always had been a bit awkward. He thought that it was adorable.

“I… I got ya these!” he said, pulling a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back.

“Oh… thanks, Hunter!” she said, giving him a small smile and grabbing them.

He smiled at her fondly and held out his arm invitingly.

Yvenne glanced at him awkwardly before smiling a bit and spilling her hand into the crook of his elbow.

He beamed at her.

“So I was thinking that the two of us could go out tonight? I got us reservations to that steak house that I know ya like,” Hunter was about to continue, but Yvenne shifted nervously, and he shot a glance toward her. “Somethin’ wrong, Darlin’?”

She shifted again at the pet name, and he grimaced. She always had such an aversion to those, but she didn’t mention it this time, which he thought was a good sign.

“I was thinking that I should probably spend some time with family too…”

“Right, but maybe tomorrow night, then?”

She considered for a moment and then nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah, sure, why not?”

He pulled her a bit closer, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, and she squirmed a bit.

_ Cute. _

“No offense, Darlin’, but what happened to yer accent?”

“I… guess that I just adjusted to Vale.”

“It’s cute, I like the one accent.”

“Thanks,” Yvenne gave him a small smile before glancing to the side.

“How’s Vale treating you?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going on.

“It’s been great. I’ve actually made some friends!” she perked up at the words and glanced at him, as if wondering if he was interested in hearing her continue.

“Oh really?” he asked, eager to see her excited.

“Yeah! I got put in this weird exchange program and lived with this… really weird group of people. They were all, like, adopted by their older friend, Xylia. There was Vander, she’s like, super sarcastic and funny, but she’s also like… a serious mess. She’s got these really awesome piercings all over her face and all. Kylee… well, she’s actually sweet if you can look past all of her… midnight encounters. Xylia’s a  _ really _ good guardian for them, but you definitely wouldn’t think it looking at her. She’s been taking care of them for the past few years after they got kicked out of their homes.”

Hunter stared at his girlfriend, eyes wide.

“Waseem and Quon are a bit standoffish, but Waseem is a sweetheart and Quon… he’s pretty nice, once you get past the cold exterior, he’s super sweet. Torey? Well… she’s a wild card, but  _ really _ funny and nice to hang out with… even if things can get out of hand. And then,” Yvenne’s smile grew fonder and she stared off into space, “there’s Pandora.”

Hunter glanced over at Yvenne, raising an eyebrow as she spoke.

“She’s… she’s not like anyone I’ve ever met. None of them are, but her? She’s… very standoffish and skittish. She doesn’t let anyone near her, something about something that happened when she was younger, and I’ve been trying to figure out what it was, but it’s… hard to get through to her. It’s worth it though…,” Yvenne looked very excited and pulled him closer by the elbow, “she even gave me a goodbye hug before I left!”

Hunter gave her a grin and was about to speak, but clearly she wanted to tell him more about Vale, considering she just continued speaking, not noticing him trying to get her attention.

“Then there’s the other people I met!” she went on a rant for a long time about countless people that he couldn’t quite remember the names of, but the final one definitely stood out. “And then there’s… Saffron. Have you ever heard of her?”

“Nah, you know I don’t know nothing about popular culture, Darlin’.”

Yvenne smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, I didn’t either! But she’s…,” Yvenne let out a sigh, and her hand on his arm loosened for a moment before he grabbed it with his own, “she’s just the bees knees, Hunter…”

“Yeah?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah… she’s a  _ really _ good singer, and she’s a part of this popular band, and she did a cover of my favorite song last night…”

“Girl Crush?”

“Yeah…,” Yvenne smiled and stared into the distance.

Hunter glanced at her awkwardly for a moment before she shook her head and turned to face him with a small, dazed expression.

“Where’d ya go, Darlin’?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No where. I’m not going anywhere.”

-

Hunter took a deep breath.

Yvenne had spent yesterday mostly talking about her time with her new friends before he had dropped her off at the house, and tonight was his chance to really get the romance department going.

Tonight’s date was going to be  **_perfect_ ** . He had a nice suit, more flowers, and his favorite cowboy hat, the one he had been in the first time he had asked her out.

There was no way it could go wrong.

-

It went wrong.

Very wrong.

The date was a  **_disaster_ ** , and the two of them hardly even spoke, and even when he tried to bring up her new friends, she was awkward again.

And… that had made him awkward.

And now the two of them were waiting awkwardly next to each other for the plane.

“What time is the flight again, Darlin’?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Actually, a friend’s picking me up.”

“W-”

Before he could respond, a large airship whoosed overhead and landed in front of them, and the hanger doors opened to reveal-

“Saffron,” Yvenne said, her eyes widening as she started to grin.

Hunter glanced at her.

Yvenne ran a hand through her hair nervously and pulled her bag close, turning to face Hunter.

“See ya, Hunter!” she said, giving him a quick hug. He tried to pull her in for a kiss, but she slipped out of his grasp before hurrying off toward the airship.

“Hey, Ven!” Saffron said, reaching up to tilt her sunglasses down and smirk at Yvenne. “That your boyfriend?” she gestured at Hunter, who awkwardly waved, watching Yvenne.

“Yeah, he is,” Hunter’s eyebrows raised as he heard her accent come back in full.

Saffron patted her on the shoulder, and Yvenne flushed red, leaning against her and hugging her tightly.

“I keep forgetting how much I love your accent,” Saffron said, putting her sunglasses on her shirt and letting them dangle there. Yvenne glanced up at her, having to crane her neck some, and she smiled again, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Uh… thanks, Saffron. That’s sweet of ya.”

Saffron guided Yvenne on the airship, the two turning around to wave at Hunter before they disappeared.

Hunter sat there for a long minute, watching the two fly off.

“What just happened?”

-

“Man, I just don’t know what I did wrong,” Hunter said, leaning forward and letting his head flop against the table.

“Okay, okay, slow down,” his friend, Jason, said, holding up his hands. “Tell me the whole thing.”

Hunter propped himself up on his elbows and groaned.

“She’s been… distant. She’s been gone for a few months, but now that she was back, I was sure that she was going to be excited to see me, but she just… spent the whole time talking about her new friends and Vale… I think that she’s… upset with me? But I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“When did she leave?”

“About two hours ago. Her friend came and picked her up and she got all excited. Totally forgot that I was there.”

“Friend? What was he like?”

“She,” Hunter sighed and crossed his arms, “and she was, like…  _ very _ Vale. All fancy city stuff. Sunglasses, airship, big town celebrity of somethin’... Name was Saffron.”

“Saffron? As in Saffron Adel?”

“I dunno, man, I didn’t get her last name.”

“And your girlfriend left with her?”

“Yeah… I don’t know, Yvenne never smiles with me like that anymore and I-”

“Wait…,” Jason looked up. “Yvenne? Yvenne Hilyard? That’s your girlfriend?”

“Yeah man, you know that.”

“I thought you were just kidding about that.”

“Why would I lie about dating my crush? I’ve liked her for years!”

Jason stared at him before he grimaced.

“Hunter, man, I don’t know how to say this, but… I don’t think that Yvenne is… interested in… whatever you could offer her.”

“What?! You don’t think I’m boyfriend material?!” Hunter cried, offended.

“Oh no, you’re definitely an  _ amazing _ boyfriend… I just don’t think she wants a  **_boy_ ** friend.”

“Why not?”

Jason gaped at him.

“Hunter, man, she’s a lesbian!”

“She’s a what?” Hunter asked, staring blankly.

“Yeah, it’s been, like, an open secret for the last few years, ever since she had that huge crush on Abigail in, like, ninth grade.”

“Wait, what?! What are you talking about? What’s a lesbian?”

“It means that she likes women.”

“Yeah, she is one,” Hunter said, frowning in confusion.

“No, like… she  **_really_ ** likes women.

Hunter still wasn’t following.

“She’s not interested in you because she doesn’t want a boyfriend. She wants a  **_girl_ ** friend.”

“Dude, that’s not a thing,” Hunter said, smacking his friend on the arm.

“Wh-of course it is!” Jason cried. Hunter hesitated for a moment.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Yvenne wants to date a woman, which is probably why you’ve been having some trouble impressing her. She’s  **_clearly_ ** got her sights set elsewhere.”

“Then… then why didn’t she tell me?” Hunter sighed. It would have saved him a lot of heartbreak later on.

“She didn’t?”

“No! I think I would have remembered if my girlfriend wanted to have a girlfriend of her own!” Hunter hissed.

“Then… maybe she doesn’t know.”

“Why wouldn’t she know? It’s not difficult to realize that women are hot,” Hunter said, shrugging.

“That’s cause you’re a guy! If you were, like, interested in guys, that would be different and-”

“Guys are hot too,” Hunter shrugged again.

His friend stared at him.

“What?”

“Okay, we’re going to have a long conversation later, but for now, we’re going to deal with this. Yvenne is a lesbian.”

“You think?”

“What did you talk about?”

“Uh… mostly her friends… mostly Saffron and Pandora…”

Hunter’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Oh my brothers… my girlfriend’s a lesbian!”

Jason reached forward and patted him on the shoulder.

“I… I gotta break up with her.”

“Yeah.”

“And… I should probably tell her.

“Yeah… good luck man.”

Hunter sighed and leaned forward, letting his head fall against the desk.


	49. Cold Hard Truth

Yvenne was seated in the copilot seat of the airship, her legs dangling just a few inches above the floor. She was silent for a moment and glanced over at Saffron, who had one of her legs propped up on the chair beside her, sunglasses tilted down just a bit. Her arms were both looped around her leg as she idly steered the ship.

Yvenne flushed and looked away toward the front of the ship.

“So… when did you learn how to fly this thing?” Yvenne asked awkwardly.

“Few years ago, my mom wanted to make sure that Romy’s mom didn’t fly me anywhere,” Saffron shrugged, giving Yvenne a look out of the corner of her eyes before she smirked.

Yvenne’s heart stuttered in her chest.

“R-Romy’s mother? Which one?” Yvenne asked, struggling to keep herself from getting distracted. Something about Saffron was just so… intriguing. She couldn’t think when she was around her, couldn’t focus on anything, couldn’t think straight…

“Are you kidding?” Saffron glanced over, her sunglasses tilting down just a bit. “Neo!”

Yvenne laughed, unable to stop herself from flushing a light shade of pink as she watched the other girl go back to staring out the front window.

“Sounds about right,” Yvenne replied, breathless. “Thanks for picking me up, by the way.”

“Yeah, anytime,” Saffron gave her a smirk and a wink, and Yvenne fumbled, unsure how to respond to the words… and the wink.

She still didn’t know what it was about Saffron that made her mind start to get… fuzzy, but she didn’t think about it much.

At least… she tried not to. Her and Pandora were constantly on her mind, whether she wanted them to be or not.

“You alright, Ven?” Saffron asked, reaching one of her hands over and putting it on top of Yvenne’s.

Yvenne froze, staring at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Thinking about family? Hunter?” Saffron asked, squeezing her hand with a small smile.

“Y-yeah,” Yvenne was able to say.

“Yeah, that’ll be hard, but at least you’ll have your roommates, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Yvenne said, her mind immediately going to Pandora first…

What was wrong with her?

Yvenne shook her head and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She was very practiced at that.

“Hey, we have another gig tonight,” Saffron was staring out of the window now, and Yvenne got the sense that she was trying to sneakily say something, but she couldn’t figure out why.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Ilesha’s been using them as a distraction. That and messaging… someone, I don’t know who it is. But… if you want to come tonight too, that’d be cool.”

Yvenne flushed.

“Yeah! I’d love to!” Yvenne said. She cursed internally as soon as she spoke, and Saffron grinned in excitement.

“What is with you and that accent? Keeps coming out randomly,” Saffron replied, looking undeniably smug.

Yvenne flushed and glared at her, but it didn’t last lost before she was smiling back.

“Yeah, I guess so… real weird, ain’t it?”

Saffron was laughing the whole way home as Yvenne got increasingly more and more desperate, trying to communicate while Saffron made her slip into her accent further and further.

When Yvenne stepped out of the airship, waving goodbye to Saffron, a small smile on her face as she watched her go.

She didn’t notice her scroll going off, Hunter having called her for the third time since his lunch with Jason.

Yvenne, in fact, didn’t notice for the rest of the afternoon when he messaged her, too distracted by Pandora and the rest of her temporary roommates.

Yvenne was seated on the couch, trying not to implode.

Everyone had given her a hug when she’d gotten back.

_ Everyone… _ including Pandora.

Pandora, who had leaned against her side and let Yvenne wrap her arms around her slowly, heart racing the whole time.

Pandora, who was sitting on the couch  _ very _ close to her, not quite touching her, but-

Oh brothers! She… she  _ was _ touching her. Just barely, and nobody else would have noticed the way her finger just barely grazed against her leg as she inched closer, ever so slowly, not making a sound and not looking at Yvenne.

Yvenne looked up and met eyes with Xylia, imploring her for some sort of help as Pandora now set a second, delicate finger on her leg, moving then closer to her waist as her other arm ever so slowly went to wrap around her.

Xylia seemed just as surprised as Yvenne, and she offered up  _ no _ assistance.

Pandora did this quite a lot with her friends, just slowly leaning closer until she was curled up beside or around them, sitting contently on the couch. Yvenne had noticed this, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined being cuddled like this by Pandora, and she also knew that you weren’t supposed to spook Pandora, or else she would stop in the middle of her process and pull away quickly, pretending like nothing had happened.

So Yvenne stayed completely still, letting Pandora move closer and closer until she was completely surrounded and, somehow, tilted over so that she was laying on the couch, Pandora behind her with both arms around her waist and her chin on top of her head.

Pandora acted like nothing was out of the norm, but Yvenne was starting to worry that Pandora could feel her heartbeat from where she lay.

Pandora hesitated for a moment, starting to pull back, and Yvenne felt panic shoot through her.

“Are you alright, Yvenne?” Pandora asked gently, her grip on her loosening, as if she was about to let go.

Yvenne suddenly remembered Pandora’s semblance.

She could… sense emotions.

Her heart sank, and Pandora started to pull away instinctively. Yvenne was desperate, and her hand shot down, grabbing onto Pandora’s own.

Pandora froze, eyes going wide as she tensed.

“No, I’m alright,” Yvenne said. She was about to guide Pandora’s hand back before she realized what she’d done, and she grasped, letting go.

She’d broken the number one rule of living in this apartment.

She had touched Pandora. By surprise. While Pandora was being vulnerable.

Shit.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think abou-”

Pandora slowly shook her head.

“It’s… it’s alright, don’t worry.”

Pandora’s hand shook as she put it back on Yvenne’s hip, and she was tense again, but she didn’t pull away. Across the room, Xylia glared at Yvenne darkly, glancing between her and Pandora, as if wondering if her daughter was going to get upset, but Pandora didn’t say a word, just laying there silently.

Yvenne squeezed her eyes shut, wondering if she should say something, but before she had the chance to, Pandora slowly brought one hand up her back and began to run it through her hair.

“Shhh,” Yvenne felt her heartbeat pick up and her face flush red. “You’re always too worried for your own good. Just relax.”

Yvenne took a deep breath, but she wondered if Pandora knew how hard it was to relax when she was around.

-

Kylee ran a hand down her face, groaning.

“When does she  _ sleep _ ?!” Kylee hissed to herself, still staring at her scroll intently.

She had Ilesha had been messaging almost constantly for the past two days, and Kylee was… well, she wasn’t coping. She had barely slept, hadn’t eaten nearly enough (only doing so when Ilesha reminded her to and pretending that she had already), and may or may not have taken a shower since she met Ilesha.

Ilesha was… just thinking of her made Kylee let out a lovesick sigh.

Ilesha was something else, something that Kylee couldn’t describe as anything but…  _ perfect. _

Kylee wanted nothing more in this life than to spend the next few hours messaging Ilesha, but she knew that she needed to crash and take a long,  _ long _ nap.

Ilesha would still be there when she woke up… whenever that was.

Kylee: Hey, I gotta take a nap, I’ll message you when I wake up.

Ilesha: Alright! Sleep tight, Ky! <3

Kylee flushed as she read the message and shoved her face into the pillow, turning off the light and reaching to put her scroll on the table. She hesitated after a moment and glanced around the room, flushing bright red before putting her scroll on her pillow… just in case Ilesha wanted to message her…

Brothers, she was a mess.

She let her eyes fall shut, and the first image behind her eyes was Ilesha grinning at the camera with that stupid spoon on her head…

Just when Kylee was about to fall asleep, her scroll buzzed, and she was immediately awake, reaching over to grab it.

Ilesha: Oh! We’re having a gig tonight, are you coming?

Kylee flushed, wondering how Ilesha could ever think she could say no to her.

Kylee: If I can get the rest, then yes :p

Ilesha: Right! Sorry! Got excited! Get some sleep!

Kylee put her scroll down, wondering if she  _ could _ get the sleep now that she knew that Ilesha was going to be at the bar tonight…

-

Vander groaned and leaned against Xylia, putting her head in her lap.

“What’s your problem?” Xylia asked, flipping a page in her book.

Vander sighed and looked up at her mother sadly.

“Cooper,” she looked into the distance, smiling fondly. “He’s going to be at the gig tonight…”

Xylia stared at her.

“Seriously?! You too?!”

“What?” Vander asked, frowning.

“Nothing. Come on, get up, we’re leaving.”

“We? You never like going to gigs unless-”

“Yeah, yeah, come on, if you and your sister are going to be messes, then I wanna be there to see it.”

Xylia dragged Vander to Kylee’s door, banging on it with her fist.

“I swear, this is the longest time I’ve ever seen her in that room without someone else with her,” Xylia muttered.

Vander grimaced.

“What’s she doing in there?”

Xylia opened the door without knocking again.

“Kylee, come on, get up! It’s time to go, you don’t want to be late tonight!” Xylia said, shaking her daughter.

“I didn’t think she was working tonight,” Vander replied.

“She’s not. Get up, Kylee,” Xylia dragged her out of bed, and Kylee let out a cry of shock just before she hit the ground, scrambling to catch her scroll before it had the same fate as her.

Vander made a face when she saw Kylee.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you?” she asked.

Kylee looked up.

“Huh?” she asked, blinking sleep out of her eyes as she checked her scroll.

“I haven’t seen you bring a woman home for the past two days, and you  **smell** like you haven’t showered for that long too. Did you just give up on life?”

Kylee flushed red and scrambled to her feet.

“No, I have no-” her eyes went wide and she checked the time. “Damnit!”

She scrambled through the room, reaching for spare bits of clothing and a towel.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing? We’re going to be late,” Xylia said, trying to grab Kylee’s arm.

Kylee avoided her skillfully and dashed toward the bathroom.

“There’s no way that I’m going to see her without taking a shower first!” Kylee hissed, slamming the door.

Vander walked over and leaned against the door casually.

“So, this is all about some girl? You been trying to get her home for the past few days? Wow, bet you’re excited for a challenge.”

The door was thrown open, and Vander stumbled, almost falling on her face.

“No, it is  **not** like that!” Kylee was still flustered and holding up a towel in front of her herself. “It’s… she’s different, alright?”

Vander looked doubtful before she snorted.

“Alright, whatever you say.”

Kylee slammed the door shut.

“What’s her name?” Vander called.

“Ilesha!”

Vander hesitated.

“No fucking way.”

“Yes way!” Kylee snapped.

“Well, good luck with that!” Vander snapped. “She’d be out of your league regularly, but come on, Lee! She’s poly, you’re a hoe, and she’s, like, human perfection. Best you just get over trying to get her in that bed of yours and move onto the next girl you can get your grubby little hands on.”

Kylee froze where she was, letting the water run over her.

She was right, wasn’t she?

There was no way that Ilesha would ever want… someone like her. Not when Ilesha was… well,  **_Ilesha_ ** .

She ambled out of the bathroom a few minutes later, shrugging on her coat. She had dressed up a bit for tonight, but not in the usual way. She had on a pair of jeans, though for once they didn’t have any holes in them, with a loose jacket over her shirt. She’d picked this specifically because she wanted to impress Ilesha. Not in the way she usually  _ impressed _ women, but…

She didn’t want Ilesha to look at her like those other girls had. She wanted Ilesha to look at her like…

Well, like she did in those photos Kylee should  _ not _ have looked up of her with Crystal and Lavey out on a date. Where Ilesha looked at them like they were the most perfect human beings to have ever been created…

Kylee put her hood up and walked out of the apartment quickly, not noticing Yvenne join Xylia and Vander, who were watching her go.

“That was a bit rude, don’t you think?” Xylia asked pointedly.

“She needed it,” Vander replied, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and stalking off.

She hadn’t expected for Kylee to take it that hard…

But it was fair. She wasn’t going to let her break some poor girl’s heart just because she thought she had a silly crush.


	50. The Dork Effect

“Alright, alright, let me get this straight,” Xylia took a deep breath and looked at Kylee and Vander. “You both fell in love with the most dorky, weird people that you could find.”

They both flushed and Vander glared.

“I’m not in love with him!” Vander hissed.

“Yeah, yeah, but still, you both found  _ the most _ nerdy people in this world. Kylee, was this  _ really _ your type the whole time?!” she hissed.

Kylee flushed and shoved her hands into her pocket.

“Maybe? I don’t know, maybe Vander’s right.”

Vander and Xylia were about to speak, but Kylee wandered off into the crowd, heading toward the front row.

Xylia glanced at Vander, who shrugged.

“What? She needed it, alright?” Vander said.

Yvenne seemed confused.

“What?”

“Kylee thinks she’s in love, and I simply… pointed out how improbable that situation is.”

“Vander!”

“What?! I’m right, aren’t I?! You know as well as I do how many women she’s drawn into that lair of hers, and none with the intention of calling the next morning! So  _ excuse me _ if I’m a little bit sk… skept… ical…”

Vander had trailed off, and Xylia saw why after a moment, following her gaze to see a rather short man with short white hair and excitable blue eyes waving at them.

“Van!” he cried, dashing through the crowd of people and coming to a stop beside her, grinning like a maniac. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Y-yeah, me too, thanks for inviting me…”

“Of course!”

Xylia watched the pair for the next couple of minutes, not paying attention to Yvenne, who was staring up at the stage with a fond expression as she leaned against the bar.

Saffron had set up the stage with her band, but Yvenne only had eyes for her as they all got organized.

She was seated a little ways down the bar from Kylee, who was sulkily watching Ilesha perform and leaning her chin on her hand, propping her elbow up on the counter with a small sigh.

Yvenne tore her gaze away from Saffron long enough to walk over and sit down closer to Kylee.

“You alright, Lee?” she asked, though she was still watching the stage as the song started up.

“No,” Kylee muttered, letting her head fall and thud against the counter.

Yvenne glanced over.

“Uh… what happened?”

“I’m not good enough, am I?” Kylee groaned. “She’s just… she’s just so  **_perfect_ ** , Yvenne! What is it?! What is it about her that just makes me go…,” Kylee stared into the distance distractedly, clearly unsure how to articulate her feelings, but entranced nonetheless by them, “crazy…”

“Yeah, it’s weird, right?” Yvenne asked, staring at Saffron.

Kylee glanced at her.

“Hunter?”

“What about him?” Yvenne asked.

Kylee glanced at her with a confused expression.

“That’s… he’s the one that makes you feel like that, right?”

Yvenne still seemed lost, and Kylee let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair.

“You know, the classic butterflies in your stomach, the quickened heart rate… you know, what I was talking about.”

“Right!” Yvenne flushed. “Yeah, yeah, he’s… he’s just swell, ya know? Really-really, uh… enchantin’!”

Kylee stared at her.

“Yvenne, I could hear your accent. What’s going on?”

“Nothin’!” Yvenne snapped, flushing further and turning to look at the stage. She refused to acknowledge that Kylee was still staring at her.

Kylee was about to say something, but the sound of Ilesha singing stopped her short, and she spun in her seat to watch, hating herself every moment, but she still stared, unable to stop herself.

“I could tell you that you're all that matters, but I'm sure you get that a lot.”

Kylee was still staring when Ilesha grabbed onto the microphone, swaying back and forth with a grin. It was impossible for her to look at anyone but her.

“We've met before; it's okay if you don't remember. I'll still wait in line.”

Kylee grabbed the bar and took a deep breath, telling herself to let go, both of the wood and the woman she was gawking at, but she knew that she couldn’t do either, not right now.

“That there's not a prayer that I won't get lost. I could fill another seat in your stadium, lose my voice singing your greatest hits!”

Kylee flushed and recalled a memory that was not so flattering, that of herself seated in her bedroom playing Ilesha’s greatest hits and losing herself to her voice while they messaged, just wanting to be able to hear that voice again...

“I look up on the stage; there's my everything standing before me. But you see a crowd, and I'm just a face that you don't know exists.”

Kylee watched Ilesha closely, seeing her eyes dart across the bar, not landing on any particular person as she beamed at the audience.

“I'm just one more album sold, one more autograph to sign, yet another "Hi, how are you?" Soon forgotten with "Goodbye."”

Kylee sighed and ran a hand through her hair, ruffling the hairdo that she had perfectly put up when she left.

“You'll always have my heart, though all you are is a poster in my room.”

Kylee let out a groan, the vivid memory of her sneaking into Vander’s room last night to steal one of her Adax band posters still fresh in her mind. She had picked the one Vander had in her closet, Ilesha on the front cover with the rest of the band behind her, barely of consequence to the photo. Kylee had put it up in her room without a second thought, and now she thought that  _ might _ have been a  _ tad _ bit of a mistake.

“You're my one and only, but I'm one of many to you.”

Kylee let her head hit the counter with a  **thump** .

“Alright, guys and gals and nonbinary pals! We’re going to take a quick intermission, love you, be right back!” Ilesha waved at the stage before hoping backstage.

Saffron took the opposite approach, as Yvenne noticed immediately. Saffron walked off of the stage. Literally. Right off of the stage, hovering in midair and floating past with her boots supporting her. She dropped down by Jin and Romy, grinning in excitement.

Yvenne flushed and watched her, unable to stop herself.

Her scroll started to buzz, and she absent mindedly pulled it out of her pocket, picking up.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly.

“Hey,” Hunter said. “I wanted to talk to you about something, are you free?”

Yvenne leaned back against the bar with a fond smile one her face, watching Saffron as she grabbed Romy around the waist and picked her up into the air, letting the two of them rise above the crowd, Romy letting out a cry of shock and grabbing her girlfriend by the collar of her jacket and stabilizing herself.

“Mhm,” she said, sighing again and letting her head fall against her hand to watch the other girl.

“You sure? Sounds loud where you are.”

“Yeah,” she breathed.

Saffron kissed Romy gently and reached one hand up to run through her hair, but her glove shot off and grabbed Jin, tugging her out of the crowd’s reach as well.

“Okay. Okay! That’s good! So, I think that we… might need to break up, alright? It’s not you… or, well, I think it  _ is _ you, but not in a bad way! It’s just… I think that you might be a lesbian and I don’t want you to be forced to think that you’re something you’re not.”

“Okay,” Yvenne said, a dopey smile on her face as she looked at Saffron tugging Jin into her arms and leaning against her side with a mischievous smirk.

“Okay? That’s it? Are you… are you alright?” Hunter asked.

“Mhm,” Yvenne breathed, slumping a bit more on the counter.

Kylee whipped her head around, eyes wide.

She had caught the entirety of that conversation, even Hunter’s part, and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Yvenne.

She was about to say something, but she was distracted when hands covered her eyes.

Kylee tensed… until she heard a voice behind her.

“Guess who!”

Kylee couldn’t stop the cheesy grin that grew across her face.

“Hey, Ilesha,” Kylee said.

“Hey, did you peek?” Ilesha said teasingly, darting around in front of her and leaning against the bar between her and Yvenne.

Kylee flushed as Ilesha leaned closer, putting a hand on hers like it was nothing.

Kylee could hear her heart beating in her ears, and she smiled at Ilesha, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“It’s good to see you again,” Kylee said.

“Yeah! I missed you!” Ilesah replied. “I mean, even if we’ve been talking for the past two days… is that weird? That I missed you?”

Kylee almost spilled her guts out right then.

“No, that… that’s not weird, I missed you too…”

“Maybe we can get lunch sometime!” Ilesha said happily.

“I-y-yeah, I’d love to go out with you… to lunch! Go out with you to lunch!” Kylee flushed pink and ran a hand through her hair.

“Great! Well, I need to go back onto the stage… I might have called this break to talk to you…,” Ilesha laughed awkwardly and squeezed Kylee’s hand. Kylee stared at her before looking down at the ground, heart racing. “So I gotta go. See ya!”

Ilesha hopped up and dashed off.

“Yeah… bye…”

Kylee watched her go and then turned and leaned against the bar, completely distracted from Yvenne, who had put her scroll down and was still watching Saffron on the stage.

Kylee heard footsteps to her side, and she glanced up to see…

“Harleen, I’m not in the mood for one of your horrid pickup lines.”

“They seem to work on you just fine most of the time.”

“Yeah, well, it seems like most things aren’t as intriguing as they used to be.”

“Well, you know that I can  _ always _ make you forget your problems.”

“I’m… trying not to do that anymore.”

“Well, maybe I can make you forget that too.”

Kylee glanced up at the stage, seeing Ilesha lean down and grab Jin by the shoulders, pulling her into a hug and then turning to the microphone.

“Alright. Let’s just hurry up,” Kylee muttered.

Harleen grabbed Kylee by the hand and dragged her out of the room quickly, leaving Yvenne by the counter to watch Saffron.

-

Xylia groaned and rolled her eyes as she watched Vander failing at flirting with Cooper.

“Oh my Dust!” a voice cried out.

Xylia glanced over her shoulder at the loud voice, frowning in confusion.

“I can’t believe you’re real!” the voice cried.

A woman dashed over to her, about a foot shorter than her with a fox tail and light brown hair, and looked up at her excitedly.

“What?” Xylia asked, taking a step back and bumping into the counter, staring down at the excitable woman that was inching closer and closer to her, eyes racking up and down her body.

“Okay, so, this is going to sound  _ really _ weird, but… can you hear me out for just a minute?” the woman asked, her tail shot up behind her with the fur puffed out.

“I… guess that I can?” Xylia said slowly, though it sounded more like a question.

“Okay! Good! That’s great! So, my name’s Rosemary Adel, you might have heard of me, I’m from the Adax band, and you met my sister. Saffron. a couple of days ago, and she took a picture of you and sent it to me because you look just like this really awesome woman from my favorite television show, Avatar the Last Airbender, and I can’t believe that I’m meeting you in person!”

“What?” Xylia asked, not having followed anything that she said.

“You look like this character from my favorite show, Avatar Kyoshi, and I’m just super excited to have the chance to meet you!” Rosemary said.

Xylia still wasn’t following her, but she  _ did _ find herself enjoying the wide grin on the pretty woman in front of her…  **especially** considering how it seemed that Xylia was the reason she was smiling.

Xylia laughed awkwardly and reached up, running a hand through her hair. She was starting to wonder if she should have taken a better look at herself in the mirror before she left…

“I’ve… never seen that…,” Xylia hesitated and glanced to Vander for help, but Vander was still distracted talking to Cooper with a grin.

“You haven’t?!” Rosemary cried.

“No…”

“But you’re in it! That’s insane! You need to see it sometime,” Rosemary said, still not pulling away from Xylia as she spoke.

“Uh… I guess I’ll try it sometime?” Xylia said, still scrambling to remember the name of the show. She couldn’t believe that she was actually considering listening to this crazy person.

“Good!” Rosemary suddenly hesitated, flushing a light shade of pink. “Right, sorry, I guess that was a lot…”

She pulled back a bit and rubbed at the back of her neck nervously.

“No… it’s alright,” Xylia said slowly.

Rosemary let out a laugh and looked like she was about to say something else, but she hesitated, glancing at the stage.

“I gotta go back on stage, but it was nice meeting you!” Rosemary said, starting to turn.

“Uh, wait, one second, I wanted to ask you-”

Another voice cut in.

“Rose! Come on, hurry up!”

A taller man waved at the girl in front of Xylia, and she grinned at him, glancing back at Xylia.

“It was nice meeting you… sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Rosemary awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

“Xylia,” she replied, trying to say something else, but the other girl just grinned and started to head toward the man that had called her.

“Nice meeting you! Watch the show!” she called, dashing off.

Xylia watched her go for a long moment before she slowly turned, flushing a light shade of red.

Welp.

That was a problem that she did  **not** want to get into… and yet…

-

“Who was that?” Akio asked. “She looked  _ just _ like-”

“Kyoshi! I know!” Rosemary said, grabbing his hand as she hopped on stage.

Akio rolled his eyes at his girlfriend before turning to the microphone, preparing to sing.

-

Yvenne was still leaning against the bar when Xylia appeared by her side, almost as if summoned from another realm of existence.

“Hey, I need a favor,” Xylia said.

“Yeah?” Yvenne replied, hardly listening.

“I need you to message Saffron,” Yvenne glanced at her, suddenly focused, “and ask for her sister’s number.”

“Okay!” Yvenne grinned, already preparing herself to message the other girl after the gig.

Xylia glanced at the stage before realization struck her and she groaned.

What was with this family and falling for dorks?


	51. Out In the Open

Yvenne let out a breathless laugh as she waved goodbye to Saffron, getting dragged out of the room by Xylia.

Xylia seemed a bit distracted, but she was making sure that Vander and Yvenne got out of the bar before it closed. She had looked around for Kylee for a bit, but she had eventually given up because she assumed she had left to go back to the apartment (mostly because she had caught a glimpse of her and Harleen talking, and Kylee was easily distracted by the other woman about ninety-nine percent of the time.

The ride home was mostly uneventful, but Xylia was still pestering Yvenne to try to get Rosemary’s number from Saffron.

Yvenne was messaging Saffron, but she had gotten a little distracted, the two talking about several different topics that had  _ nothing _ to do with the reason she had originally messaged her.

Xylia glanced at Vander, making sure that she didn’t notice her adoptive mother attempting to get a random girl’s number just because she was adorable, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Vander was distracted, staring at her scroll as she messaged someone, most likely Cooper, considering the goofy grin on her face as she played subconsciously with her earring.

When they got home, Xylia flopped onto the couch with a small sigh, watching Yvenne as she took a seat on a nearby recliner, curling up and continuing to message Saffron with a grin on her face. Xylia distantly wondered if Yvenne had gotten distracted texting her boyfriend, but she supposed that she didn’t really care either way, as long Yvenne got her Rosemary’s number.

Vander was lounging on the floor, a small smile on her face as she continued to message Cooper, likely trying to hint something towards him asking her out, but Xylia doubted that it would work based on what Vander had told her about the boy.

She checked her watch, wondering how long it would be before Pandora got back from her shift. She still had about an hour before she got to see her, so she rolled her eyes and tried to focus on anything except for her anticipation.

The next logical distractor was to make fun of someone, like she usually did to pass the time, but Vander and Yvenne weren’t really paying attention, Kylee was… well, Xylia  **_definitely_ ** didn’t want to interrupt  _ that _ before Kylee was done. Finally, Waseem and Quon were setting up their next performance, and she didn’t want to stop them from doing that, considering they didn’t need another reason to procrastinate.

Xylia was about to resign herself to the fact that she had no other option but to sit here and wait for Yvenne to give her the number or for Pandora to come home, but she was interrupted when Kylee’s door was thrown open and the girl raced out of the room, panting. She shoved her back against the door, her face flushed a bright shade of red and her clothes were ruffled beyond belief. She glanced around the room for a moment before she tugged down her shirt and grabbed the doorknob to her room to keep it from opening.

She took a moment to look at her family, flushing a brighter shade of red.

“Uh… hey…”

“What the heck are you doing?” Vander asked, looking disgusted as she glanced at her sister. “Don’t you have…  _ company _ in there?”

Kylee laughed awkwardly.

“What? No…”

“Open up!” Harleen called, slamming her fist against the door. “Face the music, Kylee! The amazing, wonderful,  _ hilarious _ music!”

Kylee took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to imagine herself anywhere but here.

“No, I’d really rather not, thank you!” Kylee called back.

There was laughter behind the door, and Xylia looked over, taking in Kylee completely for the first time.

“Two things, Kylee. First of all, please,  _ please _ zip up your pants,” Kylee flushed bright red and hurried to do as asked, “second of all, is that a hickey?! On your face?!”

Kylee reached one hand up to her chin and grimaced, feeling the hickey.

“Mhm. Yup. That is…  _ definitely _ a hickey on my face.”

“What happened to your no hickey rule?” Vander asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kylee was about to respond, but she was thrown aside as Harleen finally opened the door.

Kylee stumbled, barely keeping herself on her feet as she looked at Harleen with pure fear in her eyes.

“Oh, that’s not the only rule that was thrown out of the window,” Harleen said, leaning against the wall with a self-satisfied smirk.

Kylee, somehow, blushed a deeper shade of red.

“We don’t need to talk about this.”

“Oh, you definitely found it important a few minutes ago.”

“Can you  _ please _ just leave it be?!” Kylee hissed.

“You certainly couldn’t.”

“Okay, okay, what happened?” Vander asked, eyes lighting up as she rolled to her feet.

“Do we really want to know?” Xylia asked.

“No!” Kylee snapped, trying to usher Harleen to the front door and shove her out of the apartment.

Harleen didn’t budge, grabbing onto the doorframe and laughing.

“Oh, you  _ definitely _ want to hear this,” she said, “I’m surprised you didn’t hear it when it happened!”

Kylee smacked her on the arm, but Harleen didn’t seem to care, immediately recounting the event.

“So, Kylee and I were about to have some  _ fun _ in there,” Vander, Kylee, Xylia, and Yvenne grimaced at the word choice, but she didn’t seem to notice (or, if she did, she didn’t care). “And then  _ she _ decided that she would rather be… somewhere else,” she smirked and continued her story.

_ / _

_ Kylee and Harleen were… well, they were doing exactly as Harleen had described, and Kylee was reaching one hand up to inch under her shirt, but her eyes opened for just a moment, landing on… _

_ The poster she had stolen from Vander’s room. Ilesha was grinning in the picture, giving finger guns, her long hair, unlike the short hair that Kylee was used to her having, glowing like the sun as she held back a laugh. _

_ / _

“And then, right when things were getting fun, she said-”

_ / _

_ “Ilesha…” _

_ / _

Kylee flushed red and glared at the ground before squeezing her eyes shut.

“It was… wow! Didn’t expect  _ that _ to be what got screwed up tonight.”

She heard stunned silence before Xylia and Vander both burst out laughing, covering their mouths as they stared at Kylee in disbelief.

“Hold on,” Xylia held up her hand, trying to get herself calmed down enough to speak, “you’re serious?! About this whole Ilesha thing?!”

Kylee flushed and crossed her arms, looking away.

“Yes! I told you I was!”

“Then why would you take this hoe home?!” Vander cried, gesturing at Harleen, who didn’t even look offended. In fact, she nodded in agreement, seeming to be wondering the exact same thing as Vander was.

“Because you said to move on, Van!” Kylee snapped. “Said she was ‘out of my league,’ and I was sad so-”

“You were sad, so decided to do the thing that makes Ilesha  **_way_ ** out of your league. Nice. Good plan. Great plan!” Vander cried.

“I didn’t think it through, alright?!” Kylee snapped.

“Clearly!” Harleen said, laughing and having to lean against the wall as she shook her head.

Kylee groaned.

“You’re… actually in love with this girl, aren’t you?” Xylia asked, sounding as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Kylee snapped.

“You’re hopeless!” Vander cried, almost toppling over as she laughed.

“Hey!” Kylee snapped, face as red as a tomato. “You’re not much better! All three of you! You’re just as bad as I am!”

Vander blushed and glared back at her, trying to find words, but she couldn’t.

Xylia stayed silent, wondering how Kylee had figured out about that little conversation in the bar…

And Yvenne? Yvenne stared at her in confusion.

“I’m not a mess with Hunter. He’s my boyfriend.”

“No, he’s not!” Kylee snapped. “He broke up with you! Tonight! I was there!”

Yvenne’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“He what?! No he didn’t!”

“Yes, he did! Tonight! On call! You were too distracted staring at Saffron like a lovesick puppy to notice when he said you were a lesbian and broke up with you!” Kylee snapped.

Yvenne froze, eyes wide as she stared into the distance, seeming to look through Kylee.

At this point, Harleen and Vander had finally stopped laughing, both of them staring at Kylee while Xylia glanced between her and Yvenne. Harleen awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, clearly not sure if she should be here any longer, but not wanting to have to leave and cause them to look at her.

Vander was gaping at this point, her jaw dropped as she took a glance at Yvenne from the corner of her eyes, watching the other girl. Xylia finally turned to Kylee and glared at her darkly. Kylee realized what she’d said finally and her eyes widened, one hand reaching up to cover her mouth, immediately regretting what she’d done.

Yvenne was still just staring past Kylee, as if looking into the secrets of the universe.

“He… he did?” she didn’t seem to be asking Kylee, however, so she didn’t respond. “But… I’m not… I’m not a…”

Yvenne looked around the room for the first time, shrinking in on herself.

“I don’t like…,” she suddenly blinked, her eyes filled with tears, “I… I’m… I gotta go.”

She threw herself off of the chair and dashed into the room she had been sharing with Vander, slamming the door shut behind her.

There was a silence in the room before everyone turned to Kylee, who was staring at the room Yvenne had just run into with regret.

“Kylee!” Xylia hissed. “I thought you of all people would know not to just… just out someone like that!”

“I… I didn’t mean to! I mean, he… he had just told her!” Kylee tried to defend, but even she knew it was a weak argument at best… and an excuse at worst.

“You still don’t  _ out them, _ Kylee!” Vander snapped, pushing herself to her feet.

“I’m… sorry, but I think that I’m a little bit lost,” Harleen said quietly to Kylee. “Didn’t she  _ know _ she was… isn’t she dating that cop roommate of yours? Pandora? I thought I saw them cuddling on the couch the other day.”

“No… they’re not…,” Kylee’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, she likes Pandora? Seriously?!”

Xylia was still glaring at her darkly.

“That’s not what’s important right now, Kylee! You need to apologize and  _ fix it _ !” she snapped.

Kylee flinched.

“Right… uh…,” she glanced at Harleen for a moment before awkwardly waving and hurrying toward the room Yvenne had run into, “bye.”

Kylee took a deep breath and reached up, knocking on the door.

“Yvenne?”

“Just… just leave me alone, Kylee,” she called, just loud enough for Kylee to hear. She grimaced.

“Look, Yvenne, I’m sorry-”

“Go away!” Yvenne snapped, and Kylee heard the sound of something hitting the door. She assumed that Yvenne had thrown something at it, and she sighed.

She had to fix this, that much was clear, but… how?


	52. Apologies

“Yvenne, can I please talk to you?” Kylee called.

“I said leave me alone! I’m not a lesbian, alright?! I’m just… sad about Hunter, alright?”

Yvenne hadn’t messaged Hunter to see if it was true that he had broken up with her. She was afraid to face the fact that she wasn’t actually sad to be single.

“Alright, alright,” Kylee took a deep breath. “How about you let me in there… and you can show me. You can convince me that you’re not a lesbian, and I’ll apologize, tell everyone I was wrong, and we can move on.”

There was a long pause.

Kylee had been sitting on the floor outside of Yvenne’s room for the last two hours, trying to let her let her in, and this was the first time she thought she had shown any signs of progress.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Kylee rolled to her feet, dashing through the door before it was fully open.

Yvenne stared at her for a moment, sighing before she closed the door again, sitting on the bed.

Kylee stood awkwardly by the wall, arms crossed defensively. She knew that seemed aggressive, but she didn’t know what else to do.

“So… you’re not a lesbian? Okay… okay!” Kylee gave her a smile, which she hoped wasn’t as awkward as it felt. “Tell me about Hunter.”

Yvenne hesitated, still seeming defensive, but Kylee was hoping she’d be able to fix that in a moment.

“Well, he’s… he’s nice, and friendly, and we’ve known each other forever, and he just… something between us changed and he asked me out. It was… romantic, you know?”

Kylee nodded, but she didn’t think it was doing much for Yvenne’s case.

“So… I just… can’t believe that he dumped me. I thought we were doing good.”

“Then…,” Kylee slowly walked across the room, sitting on the bed next to Yvenne, who was curled up in a ball, holding her legs in her arms, “sweetie, why didn’t you pick up his calls?”

Yvenne floundered, flushing a bit and looking away.

“I-I don’t know, he just… I guess I was just… maybe we just drifted apart when I moved here. Maybe he was right that we should break up…,” Kylee stared at her gently, waiting. Yvenne’s eyes widened. “N-not about the whole… girls thing… but…”

Kylee reached out and put her hand on Yvenne’s own, squeezing it gently.

“Alright, alright. How about you tell me about how you felt when you first got together,” Kylee said softly, running her thumb up and down Yvenne’s hand.

“Well, it was…,” Yvenne sighed and looked off into the distance, “weird… I guess it was the transition from friends to dating that was… odd. All of the sudden the dynamic was… different. And… I don’t know, it was… odd. Like… he…”

Yvenne suddenly snapped back to reality and flushed red.

“T-that’s not because I like girls, it’s just that… I don’t… maybe I don’t like him…”

“That’s alright, Sweetie,” Kylee said reassuringly. “How about you tell me about Pandora, huh?”

Yvenne started to smile, ducking her head.

“She’s… she’s somethin’, ain’t she?” Kylee nodded, noting the way that Yvenne’s accent started to slip out. “She’s… I don’t know, there’s something about her, Kylee. She’s sweet and kind… a little bit… different, but she’s… it’s kind of cute. I just want to make her feel safe around me, ya know? Let her know that I don’t wanna hurt her, but it’s… difficult.”

Kylee tried to keep her expression unchanging, but it was difficult when someone was admitting so clearly that they had a crush on her sister.

“And she finally hugged me before I left, which,” Yvenne let out a lovesick sigh and leaned back a bit on the bed, holding herself up with her arms and smiling fondly. “Wow… and she’s so…”

Yvenne fell silent, and Kylee watched her for a long minute.

“What about Saffron?”

“She’s… she’s a lot like Pandora, ya know? I mean, obviously not in personality or anythin’, but she’s… she makes me feel nervous and I think that there’s something wrong with my stomach when they’re around because I get all…”

Yvenne trailed off, staring off into the distance again, a fond smile on her face.

“When I was laying on the couch earlier with Pandora, I just wanted to grab her and k-”

Yvenne froze, and Kylee took a deep breath, grabbing her friend’s hand and squeezing it supportively.

Yvenne’s eyes were as wide as saucers at this point, and she went completely still.

“Oh shit,” she breathed.

Kylee nodded supportively.

“I’m…,” Yvenne blinked back tears again and buried her face in her knees, “I…”

Kylee slowly reached over and wrapped an arm around Yvenne’s shoulders, moving closer to the other girl.

“Hey, it’s alright, don’t worry,” Kylee said gently, trying to figure out how best to comfort her. She was trying her hardest to remember what Xylia had done for her when she had been outed in front of her parents, but it was difficult.

Yvenne was limp beside her at the moment, looking off at the wall without seeming to see anything in particular.

Kylee moved a bit closer, but Yvenne suddenly tensed.

“You told them,” she muttered.

Kylee froze.

“I didn’t even know… and you  _ told _ them!” she snapped, shoving Kylee away and curling in on herself further.

Kylee almost tumbled off the bed, but she stopped herself… even if she deserved to fall.

“I didn’t even  **know** that I liked girls and you decided to tell  **_everyone here_ ** ! How could you!” Yvenne yelled, shoving her further.

This time, Kylee did hit the ground with a  **_thump_ ** that shook the floor around her.

“Yvenne, I didn’t mean to-”

“I can’t believe you did that…,” Yvenne muttered, staring off at the door. “I… maybe I didn’t want them to  _ know, _ Kylee! This is… this is something that  **I’m** still starting to come to terms with, and… now… I don’t even have the choice to think about this for a while.”

Kylee scrambled to a sitting position, regret covering her features.

“I know, and I didn’t think… I’m sorry, Yvenne-”

“And… and maybe I’m not… lesbian… I just…”

Kylee closed her eyes and cursed internally.

“What’s… right! I think I’m bi, Kylee, so… it probably won’t even be an issue.”

“Alright…”

“And it’s not like I have that much of a crush on Pandora. Like… she’s pretty… and so, so nice… and,” Yvenne shook her head, “it’s not a big deal. I mean… I still miss Hunter and… I think I liked him, so…”

Kylee took a deep breath and slowly sat down on the bed.

Yvenne glared at her and pulled away.

“Just stay away from me, alright?” Yvenne shook her head. “You’ve done enough.”

“It’s just… Yvenne, you were talking about Hunter earlier and… it doesn’t seem like you actually had feelings for him…”’

Yvenne shoved her again, and Kylee grabbed the end of the bed.

“I… well… I don’t know, alright, Kylee?!” Yvenne snapped, putting her chin on her knees. “I just… I don’t think that I really wanna talk about this anymore.”

Kylee nodded, sitting down next to her silently.

That lasted all of five minutes before Yvenne groaned and fell back against the bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling.

“It’s not fair.”

“What?”

“Why are they so pretty?” Yvenne whined, covering her face with her hands.

“I don’t know,” Kylee said quietly. “I mean… it can be difficult, but… you can’t  _ lie _ to yourself, that just makes it worse.”

Yvenne sniffled and turned away from the other girl, wiping at her eyes.

“I’m… I’m not…”

Kylee slowly put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Yvenne didn’t pull away this time, but she sighed and started to cry.

“But… I’m not supposed to…”

Kylee frowned in confusion at this point, and she scooted closer to her friend.

“What? Why can’t you?” Kylee asked gently, starting to wrap her arm around Yvenne.

“B-because… girls aren’t supposed to-”

_ / _

_ “-hold hands with other girls, Yvenne!” her teacher, Mrs. Daynnyls, scolded, pulling her friend. _

_ Yvenne flinched when she touched her, looking up and blinking back tears. _

_ “Why?” _

_ Yvenne was in first grade, outside playing at recess. She had been with her friend, Abigail, and the two had been holding hands. It seemed that her teacher did  _ **_not_ ** _ like that. _

_ / _

_ Yvenne was thirteen now, at a sleepover with her friend, Jeymas, and the two girls were starting to get ready for bed. Yvenne laid down slowly and stared at her friend, who was slowly falling asleep at her side. _

_ They were less than a foot apart, slumbering in sleeping bags, and Yvenne found herself at a loss for words when she looked at the other girl. _

_ There was… something  _ **_different_ ** _ about the other girl… Yvenne just wanted to reach over and- _

_ A shrill and familiar voice filled her ears, saying something she had heard a dozen times before. _

_ “Girls aren’t supposed to hold hands with other girls, Yvenne!” _

_ Yvenne drew her hand closer to her chest, never letting it leave the sleeping bag as she rolled over, refusing to look at her friend for the rest of the night. _

_ / _

_ Yvenne was fifteen now, sitting beside Abigail again. The two had been friends since they were little, and as they worked on their school work, Yvenne couldn’t help but glance over at her. They were at her house, seated beside a window, a gentle light coming through, courtesy of the setting sun. _

_ Abigail turned to face her and gave her a little smile, the sun illuminating her features in a pristine, almost effervescent glow. _

_ Yvenne found herself leaning closer, but she froze when a voice filled her head. _

_ At this point, she didn’t recognize the voice, and it might even have morphed into her own inner dialogue, but the effect was still the exact same. _

_ “Girls aren’t supposed to stare at other girls.” _

_ / _

_ Yvenne was sixteen, and Hunter was seated beside her at a restaurant. He had asked her out the day before, and it was awkward as they both tried to find something to talk about. _

_ They were on a double date with Hunter’s friend, Marshell, and his girlfriend, Rebequea. _

_ Yvenne glanced up as they ate, and her eyes locked with Rebequea, who gave her a small smile and a wink before rolling her eyes at Hunter, who was attempting to wrap an arm around Yvenne’s shoulders. _

_ Yvenne let out a breathless laugh, not paying attention to her date as she looked at the girl across from her. _

_ She wondered what it would be like if the two boys seated next to them weren’t there, but a voice filled her head. _

_ “Girls aren’t supposed to go on dates with other girls.” _

_ / _

_ Yvenne was seventeen, laying on the couch with Pandora loosely holding her from behind, and she glanced back at the other girl, who gave her a small, fond smile on her face. _

_ Yvenne just wanted to lean back and let herself get lost in her eyes, let herself lean up and grab her face, pull her closer and- _

_ The voice was back. _

_ “Girls aren’t supposed to kiss other girls.” _

_ / _

Yvenne was sobbing as she told the girl next to her the final story, curling up in her arms.

Kylee held her closer, running a hand down her back.

“I’m sorry, Yvenne. I… I’m sorry.”


	53. I Know

Yvenne had finally stopped crying, but she was still curled up with Kylee, holding her tightly.

“How are you feeling?” Kylee asked quietly.

Yvenne sniffled and pulled back just a little.

“Better, I guess, it’s just… I don’t know, I… I guess I just don’t know what to do now.”

“Well, now would probably be a good time to ask any questions.”

Yvenne sniffled again and sat up some, considering.

“Can I wear flannel again?” Yvenne asked quietly. She’d stopped wearing it after Vander had mentioned that it was another reason people would assume that she was interested in women, and she had missed them ever since.

“Of course you can, Yvenne,” Kylee said, laughing quietly, “you never had to  _ stop, _ you know.”

Yvenne smiled for the first time since they had started talking, and she wiped at her eyes.

“You know, we should take you shopping sometime,” Kylee said.

Yvenne frowned.

“Shopping? For what?” Yvenne asked, watching as Kylee pushed herself to her feet and started to look through Yvenne’s closet.

“Okay, so, your closet it mostly fine, you already dress like a lesbian most days really, but if you want to get some pride shirts you’ll need some updates, and I’m sure that you’re going to want some Adax band posters to sprinkle around the room,” Yvenne flushed and stared at her lap, “so… let’s go get you some!”

“Right now?” Yvenne asked, frowning.

“Yup!” Kylee replied, reaching over and grabbing her hand, tugging her to her feet and dragging her out of the room, not noticing her scroll going off.

-

Ilesha took a second to look at her scroll, considering.

She had messaged Kylee about two hours, having sent another a few minutes ago.

Kylee hadn’t responded, and Ilesha hesitated, her inner monologue filling her head.

_ She left before the gig ended. She didn’t stay. They never stay, do they? They always leave you. You should have known better than to get invested in someone. They all end up fading away. _

Ilesha sniffled and put her scroll back in her pocket, seeing Aella and Jin looking at her.

She put her best grin on and turned to face Aella.

“So, what did you call us over to talk about?” Ilesha asked.

“No, I think something more important came up. What’s wrong?” Aella said, hopping over to cradle Ilesha’s face.

“It’s nothing.”

Jin scowled and crossed her arms.

“Does it have anything to do with that degenerate?” Jin asked.

“Her name is Kylee,” Ilesha muttered, scuffing the ground with her shoe.

“So it does have something to do with her?” Jin replied.

“No,” Ilesha said.

“Sparky, I love you so much, but you’re the worst liar I have ever met,” Jin said. “What did that scoundrel do?”

“Nothing, Jinny,” Ilesha replied. “She just… left a little early last night, and I haven’t heard from her since I last saw her. I think that she’s just… busy. Yeah, busy…”

Jin narrowed her eyes and glared at Ilesha’s scroll in frustration.

“Can I borrow your scroll for a second, Sparky?” she asked.

“Are you going to message her?”

“No.”

“Do you promise, Jinny?” Ilesha asked, staring at her intently.

“Yes, of course I promise, Spark.”

“Pinky promise, then,” she said, holding up her pinky and locking eyes with Jin.

“Pinky promise,” Jin siad, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes as she shook pinkies with her friend.

Ilesha grinned and then tossed her scroll over to Jin, who opened it and immediately went to Kylee’s contact.

She memorized the number before tossing Ilesha’s scroll back and putting it in own scroll.

Jin: I swear if you hurt her I will rip you limb from limb and feed you the Grimms, but not before shoving my warhammer so far up your ass that you look like a sheath. Then I’ll use your remains as compost so that you can finally be reunited with your fellow hoes.

-

Kylee hopped into the car, about to drive Yvenne to the store when she reached into her pocket to grab her scroll, panicking suddenly. She hadn’t messaged Ilesha since the gig! Oh no! Was Ilesha mad at her? Had she messaged while Kylee was waiting? Or… did Ilesha just forget to message her.

She opened her scroll, finding a couple of messages from Ilesha, which made her grin like an idiot, before she saw an unknown number, the message making her freeze in place, staring in disbelief.

Kylee: I’m sorry, but who is this???

Unknown: Jin, Ilesha’s best friend.

Kylee stared in shock, making Yvenne glance at her.

“Are you alright, Lee?” she asked hesitantly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Y-yeah, just… one second, alright?”

Kylee: What happened?! Gin?! What did I do??

Jin: You really think that it’s funny to get Ilesha invested in you as a person and then just stop responding out of the blue? I’ll show you a joke! It’ll be your chance of picking up women after I beat your face in!

Kylee: I didn’t mean to stop responding! I had something come up, please don’t kill me I’m about to message her.

Jin: You better, or that threat still stands.

Kylee changed contacts after a second and messaged Ilesha.

Kylee: Hey! Sorry for not responding, Yvenne needed me for a while!!

Ilesha: Oh, it’s no big deal! Just thought I might be bothering you!

Kylee paused for a moment before she covered her mouth and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. How could she be so… sweet?!

Kylee let her head fall back against the headrest and held the scroll against her chest, trying to figure out how to respond.

Kylee: Nope, not bothering me! You could never bother me, Ilesha.

Ilesha: That’s great! Well, I’ll let you take care of Yvenne! You’re really good at that, you know? Helping people… you’re pretty sweet, Ky!

Kylee took another deep breath, covering her mouth to stop from making a  _ very _ embarrassing squeal at how adorable Ilesha was.

Kylee: Thanks, Ilesha. You too.

She put her scroll back in her pocket before she got distracted again and turned to Yvenne.

“Sorry, that… that was Ilesha, just needed to check on her. We can go now.”

“So that’s the girl you’re, like, in love with, right?” Yvenne asked.

Kylee cursed internally, flushing red.

“Uh… yeah, yeah I think so.”

“Well… don’t hurt her, she’s been through a lot with Crystal and Lavey lately.”

Kylee groaned as she started up the car, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?! I’m not going to hurt her! Besides, she thinks I’m dating someone and that she’s not my type, there’s literally no way that I can break her heart, Yvenne.”

Yvenne seemed a bit happier at the words before her smile faded.

“Yeah… it seems like we have the same kind of problem,” Yvenne said, messing with her flannel sleeve.

“We do?” Kylee asked, pretending that she didn’t know the answer.

“Yeah…”

“How so?” she continued, trying to finally get Yvenne to admit it out loud.

“Anyone that I might end up being… interested in already thinks that I’m dating Hunter and that I’m straight…”

Kylee reached over and patted her on the hand.

“Well, that’s why it’s a good thing you’re getting some pride stuff, isn’t it?” Kylee said gently.

Yvenne smiled thinly, ducking her head.

“Yeah… it’s just… just still so weird to finally admit it.”

“Admit what?” Kylee said.

“That I’m… a lesbian,” Yvenne muttered, smiling just a bit and pushing some of hair behind her ear.

Kylee smiled to herself and turned into the store, stepping out of the car.

“Well… let’s embrace it then, shall we?”

-

Yvenne was a little hesitant when they started, but by the end, Kylee had been able to talk her into not just a pride pin, but several shirts, jackets, and even a necklace in the shape of a heart, which she was now playing with while it hung around her neck.

They were walking back to the car when a familiar car drove by, pulling to a stop by their own while a figure stepped out.

Pandora looked out at the two and a small smile grew on her face as she pushed a bit of hair out of in front of her eyes.

“Hey,” Pandora said, “didn’t expect to see you two here.”

She leaned against her police car, about to continue speaking, but she paused when she looked at the two and what they were carrying.

“H-hey, Pandora,” Yvenne said, clutching her necklace tighter as she looked up at the other woman.

Pandora’s expression changed immediately, looking over the two and what they were carrying with eyes that flitted over every object with immense concentration, categorizing and cataloging every piece of information. There was no emotion in her gaze other than intrigue until she stopped and turned to look Yvenne in the eyes, her own imploring an explanation.

“Is something going on?” Pandora asked gently.

Yvenne gulped and felt her face flood with heat.

“W-well…,” she glanced at Kylee, who was watching the exchange with interest, not saying a word. She had already outed Yvenne once, and she was  _ definitely _ not going to do it again. “I… came out this morning…  _ realized _ this morning…,” she looked up at Pandora and saw that she was staring at her with a sort of patient expectancy, not hurrying her, just waiting for the response, “that I’m… a lesbian.”

Pandora paused for a moment before she grinned and walked over to Yvenne, reaching out her arms invitingly.

Yvenne’s heart thudded painfully in her chest. Was… Pandora trying to hug her? That never happened… she just usually  _ allowed _ people to hug her.

“That’s great, Yvenne, I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to share that,” Pandora said, hesitating. The look of confusion and calculation in her eyes told Yvenne that she was about to lower her arms, that she thought she had read the situation incorrectly and that she needed to draw back. Yvenne panicked and hurried forward, letting Pandora wrap her arms around her slowly, pulling Yvenne closer.

Yvenne was completely still while it happened, letting herself get engulfed in the hug while she felt her heart race in her chest. Pandora wrapped one arm around her waist very slowly before lifting her other to place her hand on her head, patting it gently before she pulled back, smiling fondly.

Yvenne looked up at her, having stood completely still so as not to scare her off, with wide eyes and a bright red face.

Kylee watched the whole exchange, trying not to chuckle.

“As much as I would like to stay, I have to go on patrol,” Pandora smiled at the two before waving and entering the car.

Yvenne waved distractedly, watching her go.

When she was gone, Yvenne suddenly flushed red.

“Uh… Kylee?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I like Pandora…”

“I know, come on, let’s get you home.”

Yvenne stumbled as Kylee pulled her off into the car.


	54. First Date

Aella took a deep breath, still looking around the room. Ilesha seemed happier now at least, but she didn’t know what she was going to do.

Aella had a date tonight, something that she still couldn’t believe was happening. She took a deep breath, fiddling with her sleeve. She had thought that going in her cloak would be fine for a first date, but Jin had been mortified at the mere idea, and she had dragged Aella into her room to try and help her find something a bit more… suitable for a first date, as she claimed. Aella wasn’t sure what that meant, considering she had just washed her cloak and had made sure to get a good night’s rest before she went on the date, but Jin seemed to think that wasn’t enough, apparently.

Aella was now in a nice red dress shirt, which she wouldn’t stop trying to find a hood on, and nice pants, but she still missed her cloak…

“You know, I think that Rae  _ likes _ my cloak, you know? There was this one time where she spent fifteen minutes playing with it and said that she liked it-” Aella hesitated for just a moment, eyes going wide as she turned to Jin.

Jin stared at her.

“Wait… was she trying to flirt with me?” Aella asked suddenly.

“Aella,” Jin said, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. Aella looked up at her, confused. “You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. You’re very,  _ very _ sweet, and you’re a way better person than you were when we started our first year,” Aella sniffled and smiled up at her, “but you’re the most oblivious person I know, and Ilesha’s still got that whore that’s in love with her and she hasn’t noticed anything.”

Aella hesitated for a moment, frowning.

“Wait, I’m what?” Aella asked.

“Nothing, it’s fine,” Jin rolled her eyes sufferingly before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her toward the stairs.

“Come on, let’s get you to that date, heartbreaker.”

“I don’t want to break Rae’s heart!” Aella cried, suddenly looking panicked.

“That’s not who you should be worried about, dear,” Jin said, patting her sister on the shoulder before shoving her out of the door.

Aella stumbled for a moment, glancing back at the door, but Jin had already closed it, likely to keep her from procrastinating any further.

Aella took a deep breath after a moment, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes, before she dashed forward and onto her motorcycle. She didn’t want to be late to her first date, after all!

-

Raelynn was giddy. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it, and she didn’t think that anyone could blame her for being excited. She had a date with Aella! Finally! After months and  _ months  _ of trying to drop subtle hints that she liked the other girl, she had finally picked up on it, and they were going out  _ on a date tonight _ ! She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, but it wasn’t really working all too well.

Braelyn and Cassandra were helping her get ready, but most of it was getting her mentally prepared. She didn’t notice as the two started to talk to her, and Braelyn had to shake her to get her attention off of the upcoming date.

“Hey, look, I know that you’re excited, but remember, what do you need to tell her tonight?” Braelyn asked.

Raelynn smiled a bit distantly.

“I tell her that she looks pretty, I hold open doors, and I tell her at least five times that she’s amazing and I love h-”

“No!” Braelyn snapped. “Or, well, yes, do that, definitely do that, but what  _ else _ are you supposed to tell her?”

“That she’s one of the best people I’ve ever met?”

“What  _ else _ ?!” Cassandra hissed.

“Uh-”

“That we like her, Rae! You’re supposed to convince her that she should date all three of us!” Braelyn cried, shaking her girlfriend again.

Raelynn didn’t seem to mind, just grinning to herself. She was still distracted by the fact that she was  _ actually going on a date with Aella _ !

“Right, right, I will, don’t worry, I got this,” Raelynn said, waving the two off.

There was a knock at the door, and Raelynn beamed in excitement, racing over, her girlfriends at her heels, also very anxious to see Aella.

Raelynn threw open the door and was about to greet Aella, but she froze, unable to speak.

“Hey!” Aella said, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand nervously. “So, I’m sorry I’m a little late, but I was driving here and I saw the convenience store and I realized that I needed to get you something romantic for our first date, and…,” Aella pulled her free hand out from behind her back, holding it out for her.

Raelynn hesitated for a moment, her heart beating painfully in her chest.

Aella was… well, she was, as always, adorable, and she was holding out a small box of chocolate hearts with a little stuffed squirrel on top of it.

Raelynn was about to reach out and take both, but Aella pulled it back against her chest, laughing awkwardly.

“Actually, this one’s for you,” she held out the chocolates, “and this is for them.”

Aella held out the stuffed animal for Braelyn and Cassandra.

“It’s, like… to keep them company while we go out!” Aella saw Braelyn and Cassandra hesitate to take the stuffed animal, so she stepped forward and placed it in Braelyn’s arms gently. “See, I couldn’t find a sugar glider, which is lame, but I thought that a squirrel would be the next best thing! That way it’s like I’m here too!”

Braelyn flushed watching her, and Cassandra had fallen completely silent, glad that she wasn’t as pale as her sister was.

“T-thanks, Aella,” Cassandra said, giving her a small smile.

Aella grinned and glanced at Raelynn, who was still watching her with unadulterated fondness.

“Hey, Rae, do you mind waiting by the motorcycle? I have to talk to these two about something real quick!” Aella said, giving her a small smile.

Raelynn nodded, giving the two a wave before doing as Aella asked.

Aella watched her go with a fond smile before she spun on her heel to face Cassandra and Braelyn.

“Okay, so, you guys are, like, really okay with this?” she asked. “I don’t want to impose or anything! I-I mean, you three really have something special going on, and I really don’t want to ruin that!”

Braelyn and Cassandra stared at her for a long moment.

“Of course we’re sure, Aella,” Cassandra finally said.

“Y-yeah,” Braelyn agreed.

Aella grinned.

“Great! That’s awesome! And… is there anything that I need to know for the first date? I  _ really _ don’t want to mess this up,” Aella said, looking between the two earnestly.

“N-nothing really… she  _ really _ likes you, so it’s not like you can mess up,” Cassandra said, shrugging.

“Heh, I’m sure I could find a way! You know me!” Aella said, shrugging and grinning… but it was clear from the way her eyes shifted just how nervous she was. Cassandra nervously looked up, meeting her gaze.

“Aella, there’s nothing you need to worry about. You’re amazing, and anyone who has the chance to date you is  _ so _ lucky.”

Aella hesitated, her face going a light shade of red as she scuffed the ground with her shoe. She missed her cloak. It was nice and comforting, and she wished that she had her hood over her head, hiding her from view.

“Thanks, Cass… you too, ya know?” Aella said, leaning forward and grabbing onto the other girl, pulling her in for a tight hug.

Cassandra went limp immediately, letting her eyes fall shut as she leaned closer to the other girl.

Aella struggled for a moment, wondering how to let her go, but when she saw Braelyn staring at them, she held out one arm, smiling. Braelyn didn’t have to be told twice, and she grabbed onto Aella.

“You’re both great, it’s good that Raelynn has you two!” Aella said, staring at the two for a long moment before gently pulling away, making sure that Braelyn had support of Cassandra. “Alright! I gotta go, don’t want to keep her waiting!”

Aella had a spring to her step, and they soon realized that she  _ really _ did, considering she was using the air to get a higher bounce with every step, whether on purpose or on accident.

Aella landed on the motorcycle, and Raelynn grabbed her around the waist immediately, putting her head on her shoulder and pulling as close as she could.

Aella flushed and waved to the other two before pulling out of the driveway.

“Okay, so, I did a lot of research-”

“For a date?” Raelynn asked, glancing at her newest girlfriend, internally marveling at the fact that she could call her that.

“Well, yeah, I didn’t want to mess it up, and all of these-”

“You’re not going to mess it up, Aella,” Raelynn said, pulling Aella closer and giving her a kiss on the shoulder.

Aella swerved a bit, almost going off the road before she laughed nervously.

“Uh, thanks… but, uh, I was doing the research, and all of the websites said to take you somewhere that I really like and to share it with you, so… I’m taking you to my favorite place in the world!” Aella said, glancing at Raelynn as they reached a stop sign.

Raelynn sat up a bit more, thinking.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm!”

“And where would that be, Aella?” she asked playfully.

“We’re almost there, you’re just going to have to wait and see!” Aella said.

Raelynn watched the streets as they drove, looking for somewhere that might be their possible destination.

They passed fancy restaurants, beautiful scenic views, but Aella never slowed, not until they reached…

Aella pulled into a parking lot, turning around to face Raelynn enthusiastically.

“Alright! We’re here! Come on, I know you’re going to love it!” she cried, hopping off of the motorcycle and holding out her hand for the other girl.

Raelynn took it, looking around. It didn’t seem familiar, but she didn’t say anything about it, not wanting to ruin Aella’s good mood.

“Where are we?”

Aella threw open the front doors, still holding Raelynn’s hand.

Raelynn got a good look at the place, and her eyes widened. She’d heard of this place, mostly from Romy’s complaining and Aella’s excited rants, and she immediately knew where she was.

She was at the jump park, the one that Aella had told her about so many times, but Raelynn always had trouble listening to what she was saying, getting rather distracted by how excited she was about the place.

“The jump park!” Aella cried, bouncing up and down on her heels. “I rented the whole place out, so don’t worry, we have the whole place to ourselves! And it’s going to be  _ amazing, _ don’t worry, Rae!”

Raelynn wanted to tell Aella that this was a  _ crazy _ place to have a first date, but as she looked over at the other girl, she couldn’t find it in herself to say anything bad about it, not when Aella looked so excited…

“What do you think?” Aella asked, suddenly sounding nervous as she looked up at her.

Raelynn gave her a fond smile.

“I think that this is the  _ perfect _ place for a first date, Aella,” she said.

Aella  **beamed** in excitement

“Really?!”

“Yeah. Now let’s go have some fun, alright?”

Aella nodded enthusiastically, dragging her across the room. Raelynn kicked off her shoes while they ran, rolling her eyes fondly as she looked at Aella.

Aella glanced back at her with a wide grin and squeezed her hand.

Raelynn was lost right then, and she followed her into the jump park without any hesitation.

-

The date was… odd. Not that it wasn’t  _ amazing, _ but it was still odd. It reminded her of Aella, and Raelynn knew that she wouldn’t want it any other way, and she was trying to get the nerve to kiss Aella again.

“Hey, I’m really glad you gave me a chance,” Aella whispered.

Raelynn blinked.

“Gave you… Aella, look at me.”

Aella glanced at her, frowning in confusion and slight worry. Had she said something wrong?

“I’m not ‘giving you a chance.’ I’ve been trying to ask you out for  **_months_ ** , and you finally decided to give me a chance. You’re amazing, Aella. Don’t forget it.”

Aella flushed a bright shade of red, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Thanks… and months? Really? Why didn’t you just ask me?” she said.

“I did! Several times! You just thought I was being friendly! Aella, just a word to the wise, when someone asks you out somewhere, it’s not exactly a friend thing.”

Aella hesitated.

“So Ilesha likes me?”

“What?!” Raelynn snapped. “No! Ilesha’s… an exception, and I mean if someone asks you out on a _date_ sort of thing, then it’s not platonic, alright?”

Aella considered.

“But… then that would mean that…”

Aella hesitated, and Raelynn could practically see her thinking.

“Then Brae and Cass would… and that… doesn’t make sense.”

Raelynn stared at Aella, slowly reaching her hand out to put it on her own.

“But…”

Aella was staring off into space again, and she flushed red.

“They  _ definitely _ don’t… I mean, it’s a wonder that you…”

Aella was cut off when Raelynn grabbed her face, pulling her down to kiss her.

“I’d really like it if you stopped insulting and belittling a woman I’m in love with, alright?”

Aella flushed darker and smiled at her.

“Um… so… I think I might like your girlfriend. Or both of them. Is that cool?”

Raelynn snorted, rolling her eyes.

“How about we go ask them ourselves, huh?”

-

Raelynn glanced at Aella, who was nervously pulling into her driveway.

“Uh, so, I think that I’m good, I don’t really need to tell them, so like… I’m just going to drop you off, love you, Rae!” Aella cried, leaning forward to kiss her.

Raelynn caught her face, regretfully, before they could kiss.

“I love you, Aella, but you need to come clean, come on.”

Aella groaned as she was dragged into the house.

Braelyn and Cassandra looked up when they entered, flushing red.

Raelynn had sent a message before she got back saying “come clean” and nothing else.

They had known what she’d meant immediately, but they didn’t like it.

“H-hey, how’d the date go?” Braelyn asked.

“Amazing. Better than any date  _ you _ ever took me on,” Raelynn said playfully. “Very romantic.”

Aella seemed excited at the words, and she grabbed Raelynn’s hand.

“Yeah, well, maybe you’ll have to show us how romantic you can be sometime, Aella,” Braelyn said.

“What?” Aella asked.

Raelynn face palmed.

“Ally, sweetie, come on,” Raelynn said, shoving her a bit with her shoulder.

“Oh, right… uh…,” Aella started to get up the nerve, but Cassandra spoke first.

“Aella, Brae just asked you on a date. That’s what she meant.”

Aella froze.

“Uh…,” she glanced around, looking at Raelynn for support, and Raelynn rolled her eyes fondly, shoving her forward.

“Go ahead, not going to bother me,” Raelynn said smugly, leaning against the wall.

“I… yeah! That… sounds great, Brae!” Aella said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

“Really?” Braelyn breathed.

“Yeah,” Aella replied, leaning closer and pushing her forehead against Braelyn’s own.

Braelyn couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward to kiss her, and Aella let out an adorable sound of shock, but she didn’t pull away, instead, she awkwardly put her hands on Braelyn’s waist.

When they pulled apart, Aella was in a state of shock, and Cassandra glanced at her.

“Uh, so, Aella, would… you mind if I came on the date with you two or-”

Aella took a moment to think, glanced at Braelyn and Raelynn, who both of which nodded, and she grinned, turning to Cassandra.

“Uh, yeah! Definitely!” she said, about to keep talking, but Cassandra had stepped closer to her, looking up at with a giant grin.

Aella awkwardly stopped talking, suddenly feeling nervous.

There was a beat of silence and Cassandra leaned closer, but she still didn’t touch her.

“Aella, you can’t just let her kiss you, she’ll fall over,” Raelynn hissed.

Aella froze for a moment before she slowly reached out and grabbed Cassandra by the waist, holding her up and giving her a quick kiss, slightly nervous that she might fall over, but Cassandra kept her close, and Aella couldn’t make herself escape.

All in all?

A  _ pretty good _ first date!


	55. Change

Kylee took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

“Why are you dropping me off exactly?” Yvenne asked, glancing at the apartment nervously, clearly remembering what had happened earlier.

“Because I’m going to lunch with Ilesha and I really want to have some alone time with her,” Kylee said.

“Going to put your moves on her?” Yvenne asked, smirking as she grabbed her bags and started to head inside. Kylee was walking quickly, wanting to get changed and a shower before she saw Ilesha.

Kylee flushed red and slapped her on the arm.

“What?! No, I’m… she’s different, alright, Yvenne?” she muttered, shaking her head and looking over at the other girl nervously.

Yvenne grinned at her and looked down at her bag, shifting it awkwardly.

“Do you think that Pandora’s home yet?” Yvenne asked quietly.

Kylee glanced at her and smiled a bit.

“I don’t know. Probably not, considering her shift doesn’t end for another two hours.”

Yvenne flushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Right! Sorry, I guess I just forgot…”

“Seems like she distracts you a  _ lot, _ doesn’t she?” Kylee asked pointedly.

Yvenne shoved her gently with her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah… still… getting used to really thinking about that, I guess.”

“Clearly,” Kylee replied.

“You’re not any better, miss ‘Ilesha, please look at me with your beautiful, enchanting gaze, oh, captor of my heart,’” Yvenne said dramatically, putting the back of her hand against her forehead with a gasp.

Kylee glared at her, about to respond, but she felt her scroll go off, and she instinctively grabbed it.

Ilesha: Can’t wait to see you!

Kylee found herself grinning like a fool.

Kylee: Yeah, me too!

“You were saying?” Yvenne asked.

“Oh, just shut up,” Kylee said, stalking past her and into the apartment, hearing Yvenne’s laughter follow her all of the way up the stairs.

-

Kylee took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She was outside of the house Ilesha had told her to come to, and she raised a shaky arm to knock on the door.

She had wanted to bring flowers and chocolates for her, but Kylee knew that she couldn’t, not with where they were in their relationship…

She took one last deep breath as she watched the door open to reveal-

Decidedly  _ not _ the woman of her dreams, but instead the one of her nightmares.

Jin stood at the door, arms crossed against her chest as she glared down at Kylee.

“What’re you doing here?” Jin asked immediately, not bothering for trivial greetings.

“I-I’m here to go to lunch with Ilesha,” Kylee said, flushing.

“You’re  _ going to lunch _ with Sparky, or are you going to have a lunch with her?” Jin asked.

“Have a lunch with her…,” Kylee said quietly.

“That’s what I thought,” Jin nodded approvingly. “And you’re going to have her back here on time?” Kylee nodded. “And you’re not going to lay a hand on her, right?”

Kylee hesitated for  _ far _ too long in Jin’s opinion.

“I swear to the brothers above that if you so much as  _ touch _ my Sparky, I will-”

“No! I mean… she’s just… a touchy person, alright?! It’s not my fault if she-”

Jin held up her hand, and Kylee fell silent immediately.

“Alright, alright. But if you hurt her, I-”

“Hey!” Ilesha cried, skipping over to the door and grinning at Kylee.

Kylee flushed bright red and stared at Ilesha, waving slowly.

“H-hey…”

“Thanks for letting me come over, Jinny!” Ilesha said, giving her a tight hug before hurrying over to Kylee and grabbing her by the arm.

Kylee immediately stumbled and Ilesha steadied her.

“You be careful, Spark,” Jin called, watching her go nervously.

“Don’t worry, Kylee’s here to protect me!” Ilesha called. Kylee flushed and stared at the ground, but Ilesha subtly moved her jacket to show her shmazer attached to her belt and give Jin a wink.

“Well, you are the Huntress in training…,” Kylee mumbled.

Ilesha giggled.

“Well in that case, I’ll be your knight in shining armor!” Ilesha said, pulling Kylee closer and putting an arm around her shoulders. “Maybe I can show you sometime my sparring skills! Jinny always  _ loves _ to spar against me!”

Kylee glanced up and stared at Jin, who stared in fear at Ilesha, memories of her shmazer flashing behind her eyes.

Kylee glanced at Ilesha lovingly.

“You know… I think I’d like to see that sometime,” Kylee said.

“Well, your wish is my command! Jinny, looks like we’ll have a little bit of an audience at our next spar!”

“Uh… maybe we shouldn’t, Spark.”

“Come on, please?” Ilesha asked, using her best puppy dog eyes.

Jin stared at her, and in that moment, Kylee realized something very important.

She was decidedly  **_not_ ** the only person that could never say no to Ilesha… and he was going to get to watch a spar at some point…

“Maybe after lunch, Jinny! But I have to make sure she gets some food!” Ilesha waved and grabbed Kylee by the hand, dragging her to the car, but Kylee didn’t have any intention of stopping her. In fact, when they reached the car, it took Kylee a full minute to remember that it wasn’t  _ Ilesha’s _ and get in the driver’s seat.

So… yeah. It was safe to say that she was going to be a mess during this lunch.

Jin’s voice rang in the back of her head.

_ Not lunch  _ **_with_ ** _ her, a lunch that she happens to be at. _

Then Vander’s.

_ You? Please, Kylee. You’ve probably slept with more girls than she’s  _ **_met_ ** _ , and you expect  _ **_that_ ** _ to be appealing? _

Kylee’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.

Ilesha looked over at her new friend, slowly reaching her hand out to put on Kylee’s knee gently.

“Are you alright?” Ilesha asked.

Kylee could hear her heart beating in her ears, but she forced herself to nod.

“Y-yeah!” she cursed the voice crack. “Of course I’m alright! Just… thinking.”

“Well, you know that you can tell me anything, right, Ky?”

Kylee nodded, flushing.

“Yeah, I know…”

Ilesha smiled at her and leaned back in her seat, watching the cars go by.

Kylee awkwardly decided to turn on her music, not enjoying the silence (mostly because there was nothing to distract her from Ilesha, and that was practically unbearable).

It was an immediate mistake, but she didn’t realize it until too late.

Ilesha glanced at her with an odd expression, but she couldn’t read it, too worried about the cars beside them.

“Hey, Ky?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“Are we listening to my band?”

Kylee cursed internally, hands starting to sweat against the wheel.

“Uh… maybe?”

“I didn’t know that you listened to us! That’s so cool!” Ilesha said, bouncing up and down in her seat as she looked over at Kylee.

Kylee flushed, wondering how Ilesha could be so surprised. She was a part of one of the most popular bands in the world, and she was still so… adorably surprised to learn about this?!

Kylee still couldn’t believe it.

The song ended, and another started.

“Oh, I love this song!” Ilesha said.

“Caught in the moment, not even thinkin' twice!” Ilesha sang, her voice fitting perfectly over the recording.

Kylee had already parked the car, but Ilesha didn’t seem to notice.

“Everything's frozen, nothing but you and I!” Ilesha reached over and grabbed Kylee’s hands, swaying back and forth.

“Come on, sing with me!” Ilesha said.

Kylee flushed red and glanced up at her nervously, having to tear her eyes away from their connected hands.

“Can't stop my heart from beating,” Kylee sang quietly, but Ilesha gasped at her voice anyways, looking  _ extremely _ excited. She couldn’t believe that she was singing  **this** song with Ilesha...

“Why do I love this feeling?”

Kylee felt Ilesha squeeze her hands as they sang together, giving her the courage to be a little louder.

“Make me a promise, tell me you'll stay with me!” Ilesha sang, pulling Kylee closer dramatically.

“If I'm bein' honest, I don't know where this leads,” Kylee replied, but she felt as if she wasn’t singing anymore. She was laying bare to Ilesha what she wanted to tell her.

“But that's the only question!”

Ilesha tugged her closer, as if trying to convince Kylee of something.

“Baby, don't keep me guessin'!” Kylee seemed to plead with the other girl, begging for her to give her a sign on if she was interested in Kylee romantically, or if everything they had been doing was platonic to her.

Ilesha, as always, didn’t seem to notice.

“Ooh, you are my muse!” Ilesha cried. “I feel so reckless!”

Kylee couldn’t believe that her singing sounded so much more beautiful when she was in person.

“Oh, you're makin' me, makin' me, makin' me give in!” Kylee sang, leaning a bit closer… but she stopped herself, biting her lip.

“Oh baby, I can feel the rush of adrenaline!” Ilesha had thrown open her car door at this point and leapt out, racing across to Kylee’s side and grabbing her by the hands, tugging her outside.

“I'm not scared to jump if you want to!” Kylee stumbled over the lyrics as Ilesha grabbed her on the waist with one hand and held up her other expectantly.

“Let's just fall in love for the heck of it!” Ilesha had finally gotten Kylee to dance with her, and she was leading her through the steps with a wide grin on her face, clearly excited that Kylee knew how to dance, which made her make the steps more complicated.

“Maybe we'll just keep fallin'!” Kylee was on the final note when she let out a squeal, Ilesha having dipped her unexpectedly.

She looked up at her, in a daze.

“I can feel the rush of adrenaline,” Ilesha sang, leaning even closer, her short hair, which was now a brilliant shade of blond, hovering just a few inches from Kylee’s face.

“I'm not scared to jump 'cause I want you,” Kylee breathed.

“When I'm around ya, I feel it in my veins!”

Ilesha stood her back up, but she didn’t let go. If anything, she moved closer, and Kylee scrambled to follow the steps.

“Something about ya that's makin' me go insane,” Kylee replied, taking a shaking breath when Ilesha pressed their foreheads together.

“We have a storm to weather, my little sweet surrender!”

Ilesha let out a giggle and pulled back, letting Kylee go. Kylee almost wobbled over, staring at the other girl intently.

“That was fun!” Ilesha said. “And you’re  _ really _ good at singing! And dancing! Maybe we could do a music video together sometime!”

“Y-yeah,” Kylee breathed. “I’d love that…”

As Kylee turned off and locked the car, Ilesha suddenly paused.

“You alright?” Kylee asked.

“Yeah, it’s just… I just remembered that I made that playlist for Crystal and Lavey.”

“Oh, Ilesha, I’m so-”

“No, no! I  _ just _ remembered! You see?” Ilesha beamed. “I went that long! You know… you’re a pretty good distraction.”

Kylee flushed.

A distraction from her exes.

Was that a good thing?

Kylee, in her experience, thought that was a rebound thing, and that was  _ not _ what she wanted to be…

And yet the words made her want to jump for joy.

-

“Hey, I have a question,” Kylee said.

“Hmm?” Ilesha said, covering her mouth. She had just taken a giant bite of her food, and Kylee was trying not to laugh.

“What’s up with your hair?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Why does it change colors? Do you dye it that much?”

“Nope! It changes… part of my semblance, you know?” Ilesha shrugged. “Can vary based on electricity or mood.”

Kylee’s heart raced as she risked a glance at Ilesha’s stark blond hair.

“What’s… good?”

“Blond! Black is usually when I’m really sad,” Ilesha shrugged, “not a big deal.”

But as Kylee sat there, she realized that it  **was** a big deal, at least for her. Because that first night they had talked all night… Ilesha’s hair had gone from dark brown to vibrant blond.


	56. Another One

Harleen and Vander were both seated on the couch awkwardly, glancing at one another. They were the only two that hadn’t left or gotten distracted, considering Xylia was distracted trying to get Yvenne to get Rosemary’s number, but Yvenne was distracted trying to redecorate her room… though she was getting rather flustered whenever Pandora tried to help her. Waseem and Quon were both in the other room, doing who knows what, but Vander didn’t really care, because the person she was focused on was seated right beside her, making everything… exceedingly awkward.

“If you’re waiting for Kylee to get back, I don’t think she’s going to be interested in whatever you’re offering,” Vander said, raising an eyebrow and looking at the other girl.

Harleen rolled her eyes at the words, pushing her hair back.

“Oh, I know. She’s not why I’m staying.”

“Then why  _ are _ you staying?” Vander asked, narrowing her eyes as she watched the other girl.

“Oh, I have my reasons,” Harleen replied, her hand scooting across the couch toward Vander not so subtly.

Vander watched it, eyes narrowing.

“I’m not sure that I want to know them,” Vander said, scooting a bit away from her.

Harleen followed her with her eyes, smirking before looking her up and down.

“I bet I could get you to change your mind,” Harleen replied, leaning a bit closer.

“I’ll hurt you if you try,” Vander growled.

“Oh? That might not necessarily be a bad thing,” Harleen said.

Vander took a moment before her eyes widened and she grimaced.

“I am,” she shivered, “ _ not _ my sister, and I need you to back off, personal space, man.”

Harleen hadn’t backed up, and Vander glared.

Harleen moved a bit closer before Vander stood up, letting her topple over and fall down face first on the couch.

Vander snickered and rolled her eyes, already stalking toward her and Yvenne’s bedroom, wondering what the other girl had done to it.

When she stepped inside, she let out a groan.

“Really?!” she hissed. “Adax band stuff? I  _ just _ took down my posters!”

“You can swap rooms with me, Van, I don’t have any decorations,” Pandora said, shrugging.

Yvenne looked up, flushing red.

“No, I’m fine, all my shit’s here anyways,” Vander replied, shrugging.

Yvenne let out a breath, spinning away from the other girl with a large blush. Xylia snickered at the other girl, leaning over and against the door, watching them.

“Hey, Pan, I need your help, actually,” Vander said. “There’s someone loitering here, and I need you to kick them out.”

“What? Who?” Xylia asked, looking up.

“Loitering?” Pandora questioned. “But loitering is defined as staying in a  _ public place _ for longer than necessary without a purpose. So how could someone loiter in our apartment?”

Vander stared at her.

“That just doesn’t make sense logically, because this isn’t public property, despite how many people Kylee has let in,” Vander snorted, “but at this point wouldn’t it be trespassing?”

“Loitering, trespassing, coming onto me, take your pick, I really don’t care, just get her out of here.”

Pandora blinked at her.

“I’ll go talk to her, I suppose. Yvenne, I’ll be back in a moment,” Pandora gave her a small smile before walking outside, reaching out and grabbing onto Vander’s arm to drag her out.

Vander trailed after her, smiling smugly.

She let Pandora slide her hand down until she slowly intertwined their finger, squeezing Vander’s lightly.

“What’re you still doing here?” Pandora asked.

Harleen looked up at her, blinking in shock.

“I-well-I-”

Vander squeezed Pandora’s hand, knowing that she was giving her a reason to forget about her anxiety. Pandora was always best at forgetting her own issues when someone needed her. It’s what made her such a good police officer.

“Kylee’s gone. What happened?” Pandora asked.

“I, well… I was…”

Pandora kept her hand on Vander’s before she sat down next to Harleen, putting a hand on her bare arm and letting her emotions wash over her fully.

Pandora hesitated, glancing at Vander.

“Van, give us a second?”

Vander blinked in surprise, hesitating, but she let go, trailing toward the other room.

Harleen was watching Pandora with fear, but she didn’t pull back, eyes darting to her badge, which she hadn’t taken off yet, considering she had been stolen the moment she walked in the door to help Yvenne get her room ready.

She took a moment before she gave her a small smile, moving closer.

“Are you alright?”

There was a hesitation.

“I… um… I’m a little nervous about what you’re doing at the moment, but other than that…”

Pandora took a shuddering breath. A lie.

“Are you sure?”

She pushed a bit of calm onto the other girl, letting her out emotions be drained from her, leaving only panic.

“No,” Harleen breathed. “I’m not alright.”

“That’s okay. It’s alright to not be alright,” Pandora whispered, taking slow, deep breaths to keep her panic from spreading. She was still getting the hang of that.

“I just… Kylee’s not here, she’s… well, I usually stay the night wherever I…,” Harleen spilled, flushing when she spoke.

“And she’s not here, so you think that you can’t stay,” Pandora finished for her.

Harleen nodded, not looking at her.

“Well, you can definitely stay the night,” Pandora said. “And as long as you need.”

Harleen looked up at Pandora, eyes wide.

“I… I don’t know what to say…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Pandora said, pulling her hand back and giving her a smile. “Most of us were taken in when we had nowhere to go too. You’ll fit right in.”

“I’m sure there’s  _ something _ I can do to repay you,” Harleen said, inching closer and bringing her hand toward Pandora’s knee.

Pandora reacted immediately, her hand reaching up to snatch onto the other girl’s wrist. Harleen smirked for just a moment before she let out a cry of fear.

Pandora flipped her off of the couch, watching her land a  **_thud_ ** .

“First rule,” Pandora stood, walking over her as she laid on the ground, groaning, “don’t touch me.”

The door opened and Vander peeked in.

She saw Harleen on the floor.

“Did she touch you?” Vander asked.

“Tried to,” Pandora replied.

“Oh, that’s a no-no,” Vander said, shaking her head. “So you kicking her out?”

“She’s staying.”

“WHAT?! I ask you to do  _ one _ simple thing, and-”

“She doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” Pandora said.

Vander paused for a moment. She looked over at Harleen for a moment, who was laying on the ground and staring at the two.

“Alright, alright…,” Vander reached down and helped Harleen up.

Harleen watched her warily, and Vander looked away.

“If you need some help, well… there’s an opening where I work if you need me to put in a good word for you,” Vander said, shrugging.

Harleen looked over, pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah… that… I might take you up on that.”

Pandora took the opportunity to slip out of the room, appearing in Yvenne’s room.

“Hey, mom?” Pandora asked.

“Yeah?”

“We have another kid, don’t ask me about it, I… need a little bit of a break, alright?” Pandora said.

Xylia looked like she was about to snap, but she froze for a moment.

“Alright, just take a break, Panny.”

Pandora gave her a small smile before she took a deep breath, laying down on Yvenne’s bed and giving her a small smile before putting in her headphones.

She pulled out her scroll, letting her heart rate slow down. It was… more than a little stressful to have to use her semblance like that, but she knew that it had helped her.

Pandora: Hey, I don’t think that I’ll be able to use my semblance tomorrow.

Jordy: What happened?

Pandora: I may have used it tonight and had a mild panic attack.

Jordy: What happened?!

Pandora: Had to help this girl and calm her down, so… yeah.

Jordy: Pan, we talked about this. You need to take care of yourself.

Pandora smiled at her scroll.

Pandora: I know, I know, it’s just… she needed me, alright?

Jordy: You’re too nice for your own good, you know that?

Pandora: That’s what you tell me.

Jordy: And I’ll tell you as many times as I need to.

Pandora smiled fondly and rolled her eyes.

Pandora: Thanks.


	57. New Beginnings

The majority of the group was at the Belladonna-Schnee household, and they were attempting to get as much relaxation in before tomorrow as they could.

Aella had been trying to go over landing strategies with her girlfriends, but they had distracted her, and she was down somehow laying in all three of their laps, trying to speak, but not getting anything out as they talked. Braelyn was playing with Aella’s cloak, twisting it between her fingers and trying to make Aella giggle or tell her to quit tickling her. Cassandra, on the other hand, was flopped right by Aella, smiling at her fondly as she leaned against her sister for support. Raelynn was smugly playing with Aella’s hair, twirling it between her fingers while she looked up and made eye contact with Kesey, smirking.

Kesey was seething from across the room, glaring back at Raelynn. Zohra threaded her fingers between Kesey’s, trying to calm her slightly, and squeezed tight, bringing her back to the conversation they had been having.

“Hey, stop staring,” Zohra said, rolling her eyes.

“But they’re just… Aella doesn’t know that they’re flirting, and it’s just rude,” Kesey hissed, not caring that it sounded hypocritical.

Zohra stared at her girlfriend for a long moment.

“Kes, they’re dating.”

“They’re what?”

“They’ve been dating for a few days now. All three of them are dating Aella.”

Kesey’s face drained of color, and she slumped in her seat, looking over at the four with a now petulant expression mixed with pain.

“Oh. I… didn’t hear about that, I guess,” she muttered, looking away from the four finally and across the room, locking eyes with Abdera, who seemed surprised, but waved at her with a wide grin.

Kesey couldn’t help but wave back, smirking at her. Abdera was just too cute.

“Don’t worry,” Zohra said, squeezing her hand again.

Kesey put her head on her shoulder and let out a small sigh, not responding.

Her gaze drifted a bit, landing on Saffron, who was currently leaning back on the couch, her arm wrapped around Jin’s shoulders and Romy wedged in between them, looking like she was on top of the world.

Yvenne was on Saffron’s other side, looking up at her like she was magic. Yvenne was a light shade of red at this point, but she didn’t seem to mind, and Saffron didn’t seem to notice.

Yvenne was suddenly shoved up against Saffron, causing her to make a sound that was equal parts flustered and surprised. Saffron grabbed her to stop her from falling off of the couch. Yvenne looked up at her for a moment, flushing red and freezing immediately.

The reason she had been shoved up against Saffron was because Ilesha, who had been seated beside Adolpha and Romelle, who may or may not have been ignoring any kind of social interaction other than with each other, had suddenly gotten excited at Kylee’s agreement to help her move into her dorm room tomorrow, and had thrown herself over to hug her tightly.

Kylee had just started to fall over, too shocked to stop herself with Ilesha so close. She had stopped functioning, and she slowly wrapped her arms around Ilesha, unable to believe that Ilesha was so excited to spend time with her.

Vander glanced at her sister and was about to laugh, but Cooper leaned a bit closer to her, whispering things to her about the group that she couldn’t pick up on, too distracted by Cooper being so close.

Akio and Rosemary were both leaned back against the couch together, whispering about the others, and Rosemary was going on and on about a woman she’d met that looked just like Avatar Kyoshi.

Auburn and Clover were beside them, snuggled up underneath a blanket with wide grins on their faces.

Lavey and Crystal both poked their heads into the room and caught sight of Ilesha curled up next to Kylee, not having pulled away.

Kylee was a bright shade of red, the color showing even with her darker skin tone, but the two ignored that, sure that pretty much anyone could fall in love with Ilesha, and they didn’t blame that.

At least Ilesha didn’t seem interested like  _ that _ in the other girl, right?

The group, all in all, seemed very excited for the new year, and the new people joining them.


End file.
